New Mexico Republican: Gays Should Stop 'Whoring Around,' Marry Women

A Republican state senator in New Mexico pointed to ancient societies as proof that marriage is only intended for one man and one woman in a blog post last week, citing examples from ancient Chinese philosophy, Greek society, and colonial America.

As several New Mexico counties began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples last week, Sen. William Sharer penned a blog post claiming that society's foundation and history itself would cease to exist without the procreative nature of male-female unions.

In his historical post, Sharer acknowledges that Alexander the Great "may have engaged in homosexual activity, but he married a woman."

"He directed his officers to stop 'whoring' around and find a local woman to marry," writes Sharer. "WHY? BECAUSE 'It is only through blood relations that hatred and war will end.' In other words, Alexander the Great thought that marriage was about creating and raising the next generation."

Later in the post, Sharer cites Aristotle as a pre-Christian philosopher who believed that "marriage between a Greek man and a Greek woman to make virtuous Greek babies" was essential to the continuation of the race.

Sharer also alleges that Pocahontas married John Rolfe in colonial Williamsburg not only as a physical vessel to guarantee peace between the English settlers and native Powhatan Indians, but also for love.

Sharer told Talking Points MemoWednesday that he holds no animosity toward gay and lesbian couples, but that he opposes marriage equality. He again referenced Alexander the Great to highlight what he believes is proof that marriage should only exist between a man and a woman.

Sharer planned to file an injunction against the Dona Ana county clerk who first issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples last week, but now that five other counties have followed suit, bringing marriage equality to half the state's population, Sharer told TPM he and his conservative colleagues are weighing their options to put a stop to same-sex marriage in New Mexico.