Gay Republican candidate stunned after party official said she was ‘sickened’ because he had adopted a child

A party official caused outrage when she said she was “sickened” to learn that that a gay Republican candidate has adopted children.

Jeffrey Sossa-Paquette, who is running for a seat in the Second Congressional District in Massachusetts, was horrified when he saw an email sent by fellow Republican Deborah Martell which suggested he shouldn’t be raising his children.

In the email, Martell reportedly wrote: “I heard he was a ‘married’ homosexual man, who adopted children. I was sickened to hear this.”

And after Sossa-Paquette confronted her by email about the comments, she added:

“I am a Catholic who loves God and His Ten Commandments. I wish the best for every person in the world, including you!

“What sickened me was that you adopted children… Children deserve a mom and a dad. That’s how God designed marriage and the family.”

Sossa-Paquette and his husband Julian have two children aged 19, and 10. Following Martell’s condemnation of this normal thing, she has been condemned by some in her party.

Governor Charlie Baker branded Martell’s comments “abhorrent” and said her views “have no place in public discourse and of course have no place in the leadership of a political party founded on protecting individual freedom”.

State representative Shawn Dooley called on Martell to resign over her comments, saying it is “not good enough” for Republicans to “sit on the sideline” and allow her words to go unchecked.

But speaking to NBC Boston, Sossa-Paquette slammed Massachusetts GOP chairman Jim Lyons, saying he went to him with Martell’s remarks but was not taken seriously.

Sossa-Paquette claimed Lyons told him he “wasn’t going to get involved” in the debacle, prompting disappointment from the candidate and from others in the party.

He added: “This does not represent the Republican Party that I’ve defended for the last 20 years of my life.

“I’m not going to tolerate any bigotry coming out of my own party or the Democratic Party. It just doesn’t belong. Anyone who does that should not be in office.”