A Government of the Student Body presidential candidate said his comments against homosexuality won’t affect his upcoming campaign.

Russell Graves has made his views on homosexual acts known with letters to the editor in the Iowa State Daily and postings on the Internet bulletin board StrangeTalk.

“I don’t think it will affect my campaign,” he said. “Although I’m against homosexuality, I don’t have a problem with people who are homosexual. Some of my friends are homosexuals. I disagree with it, but it won’t affect any decisions I make regarding funding or anything.”

Graves, a member of Stonebrook Community Church, 3611 Eisenhower Ave., said many of his personal values are found in the Bible, including his stance against homosexuality.

In a Sept. 11, 2003, letter to the editor, Graves said love between two people isn’t the only factor that validates a relationship. He said that based on this concept, relationships involving incest and pedophilia should be valid as well.

“If loving each other is all that is required for a relationship to be valid, what about a 35-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy who love each other?” he wrote. “If loving each other is all that is required for a ‘beautiful thing,’ then anything is allowed as long as there is love.”

In an earlier letter to the editor, printed in December of 2000, Graves responded to a complaint about an on-campus Christmas tree by writing about tolerance.

“I’m not gay,” he wrote. “I don’t think being gay is right, but I don’t go and complain when the [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Ally Alliance] has activities. I don’t complain about the ‘Rainbow Alliance’ ads around campus. I just let them do their thing, and I do mine.”

Graves said although his personal beliefs and views would affect his thoughts and actions to an extent, he did not think it would affect relations between GSB officials and gay and lesbian student organizations.

“Those beliefs are part of my moral system, part of who I am, and I will look to that when I make decisions,” he said.

“However, I realize that this is a university, and while I may disagree with some of the things they’re doing, it doesn’t remove the right of these clubs to get GSB funding.”

Graves said he hadn’t encountered any problems thus far in finding signatures for his ballot petition, and he wasn’t particularly worried about losing support among students.

“This is what I believe,” he said. “If that alienates people, it alienates them. I don’t think my views are far enough out there to really bother anyone.”

According to GSB election code, candidates have to gather 1,500 signatures to be put on the ballot.

Julia McGinley, president of the GSB-funded Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Alliance, said she believes Graves’ opinions would have a significant impact on decisions he would make if elected.

“Regardless of the extent to which a person or candidate is professional, the views they hold are going to have an effect on their actions in the office,” she said. “That’s why we’re electing them, so that they can implement change based on their opinions and views.”

McGinley said while a candidate who held anti-homosexual beliefs would concern her, she is not ready to concede that Graves is such a candidate — she said further investigation into all the candidates would be required.

William Rock, vice speaker of the senate and GSB vice presidential candidate, said Graves may encounter some difficulty finding supporters due to his attitudes toward homosexuality.

“Some students are obviously going to take objection to what he’s said,” Rock said. “Russ is entitled to his own opinion. I don’t share it. I think it does affect his ability to represent all students.”

Drew Miller, who is also vying for the GSB presidential seat, said Graves’ anti-homosexual beliefs wouldn’t greatly affect his decisions if he’s elected president.

“I think that, considering that there are GSB-funded groups which are centered around women’s rights and homosexual rights, you can’t completely divorce the presidency from these beliefs, because there are groups espousing beliefs that are different from his,” he said.

“Russ is not that bad of a person. I don’t think he’d go out of his way to support these groups, but I don’t think he’d stop them, either.”

However, Miller said, he thought Graves might lose a lot of votes from people who disagree with his beliefs.

“Maybe,” he added, “[gay students and their allies] just won’t get any cupcakes.”