Gingrich tells gay man to support Obama

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OSKALOOSA, Iowa, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- An Iowa man says Newt Gingrich brushed off a question about how he would engage gays if elected U.S. president by telling the man to support President Obama.

Scott Arnold of Oskaloosa, a university adjunct professor who is gay and a Democrat, said the Republican presidential candidate's response during a Tuesday appearance at a coffee shop in Oskaloosa "doesn't inspire hope at all," The Des Moines Register reported Wednesday.

"When you ask somebody a question and you expect them to support all Americans and have everyone's general interest," Arnold said. "It's a little bit frustrating and disheartening when you're told to support the other side. That he doesn't' need your support."

Gingrich, who has a half sister who is a lesbian, has previously said in Iowa that same-sex marriage "is a temporary aberration that will dissipate," the newspaper said. He has advocated for a federal constitutional amendment that would deny marriage rights to same-sex couples.