House GOPer: Teach kids about traditional gender roles

Rep. Phil Gingrey suggested classes for children on marriage roles during a speech in support of DOMA

Published June 19, 2013 8:24PM (EDT)

    (Wikipedia)
(Wikipedia)

During a speech on the House floor in support of the Defense of Marriage Act, Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., argued that young children should perhaps take classes that teach them about traditional gender roles.

"You know, maybe part of the problem is we need to go back into the schools at a very early age, maybe at the grade school level, and have a class for the young girls and have a class for the young boys and say, you know, this is what’s important," Gingrey said. "This is what a father does that is maybe a little different, maybe a little bit better than the talents that a mom has in a certain area. And the same thing for the young girls, that, you know, this is what a mom does, and this is what is important from the standpoint of that union which we call marriage."

Gingrey, who is running for senate in Georgia in 2014, has previously said that Todd Akin was "partly right" in his "legitimate rape" comments during the 2012 elections, though Gingrey later backtracked and said his defense of Akin was "stupid."

Here's the video. The remarks come in around the 3:50 mark:

h/t Huffington Post.


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

MORE FROM Jillian Rayfield


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

2014 Elections Doma Gender Roles Georgia House Republicans Phil Gingrey Video