Presidential hopeful and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum showed some support for Bruce Jenner at the South Carolina Republican Party’s convention Saturday.
Santorum, a staunch social conservative, told reporters he believes Jenner when he says he is a woman.
“If he says he’s a woman, then he’s a woman,” he stated during a roundtable with reporters at the convention.
He continued:
My responsibility as a human being is to love and accept everybody. Not to criticize people for who they are. I can criticize, and I do, for what people do, for their behavior. But as far as for who they are, you have to respect everybody, and these are obviously complex issues for businesses, for society, and I think we have to look at it in a way that is compassionate and respectful of everybody.
Jenner ended months of speculation last Friday when he came out as a woman during a televised interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer.
Santorum was also asked if he believes Jenner should be permitted to use women’s public restrooms.
“So these are tough issues. I haven’t got into the whole issue, and I don’t think the federal government should get into the whole issue of bathrooms,” he continued. “I think those are things that the business community and local agencies and organizations should deal with.”
During the high-profile interview with Sawyer, Jenner also revealed he identifies himself as both a Christian and a Republican.
“I’ve always been more on the conservative side,” he explained, when asked about President Obama’s support for LGBT rights during the State of the Union.
Sawyer then asked if Jenner identifies himself as a Republican, to which he replied, “Yeah. Is that a bad thing? I believe in the Constitution.”