Presidential candidates continue to express to us their hopes for this country, what they will change if elected and issues that need to be addressed in America. However this year’s past and current candidates are expressing too much of a concern about homosexuality.

Today’s primary issues include the U.S. debt, war, education, crime and immigration, not homosexuality. In particular two Republican candidates, Rep. Michele Bachmann and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, made an unnecessary ordeal about gay marriage and homosexuals serving in the military. Bachman expressed her views on homosexuality by holding a clinic that allowed homosexuals to “pray away the gay.” According to ABC News, this clinic is there to help homosexuals become attracted to the opposite sex through prayer and effort.

This is wrong. There will always be those that want to make other people’s personal business their business too. However, as the president of the United States, they should never concern themself with an individual’s personal life. The president needs to be concerned with the country as a whole, not about who a citizen is sleeping with or engaged to.

It’s a state’s right to decide whether same-sex marriage will be legal or not; it is not a federal issue. Therefore, since these candidates are running for federal office, it should be none of their concern.

On the other hand, Perry expressed his views regarding gays in the military through his outrageous campaign ad. In his commercial he claimed that there is something wrong with this country if gay men and women can openly serve in the military, while children cannot celebrate Christmas or pray in schools. If elected, Perry claimed he would rebuild this country on faith and end President Barack Obama’s war on religion.

While these candidates have officially withdrawn — thank goodness — that was still an ad that should never have been released and a clinic that should never have been held. There are bigger things happening in America.

Two current Republican candidates that share a negative viewpoint on homosexuality are Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Gingrich opposes the marriage of same-sex couples while Romney opposes the idea of allowing gays and lesbians to serve actively in the U.S. military.

The controversy here is that Gingrich’s ex-wife reported on ABC that he asked for an open marriage, an agreement that would allow both husband and wife to have sexual relationships outside of the marriage. Whenever confronted, Gingrich expresses how much he hates being asked about it. Considering that, how dare he ask about the personal and sexual lives of others.

As candidates address issues in debates and speeches, homosexuality should not be classified as issue. Stephen Hill, a solider in Iraq, was booed at a Republican debate in September 2011 after asking via video about the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” This is one of the only federal homosexual issues that has been discussed, and rather than discourse, the result was hatred.

It is hard to understand in what ways a person’s sexual orientation should be an issue when a man or woman is brave enough to fight for this country. Our future president should not be concerned with sexual orientations and with whom he or she wants to marry, but rather the pressing issues that concern the U.S. as a whole.

— Ashley T. Powell is a journalism sophomore. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu or on Twitter via @WildcatOpinions.