Two of the three candidates for the third Congressional District seat gave very little, if any support, to gay rights during a forum held at the Ames City Council Chambers Monday evening.

Republican Mike Mahaffey said he would have supported the defense of marriage act which supported a ban on same sex marriages in the U.S.

However, he said he would seriously consider a discrimination in work act as long as certain considerations could be given to certain special groups such as churches and schools.

Boswell, a Democrat, also favored a discrimination in work act, but he noted that he is not quite prepared for the idea of same sex marriages.

“I’m trying to learn, I’m trying to understand, but to be honest with you I’m not quite ready for that,” Boswell said.

Both candidates agreed that the issues concerning gay rights are not easy issues to address.

“I don’t think that there is an easy answer,” Mahaffey said.

Boswell did favor making harsher punishment for those who commit hate crimes against homosexuals.

“Everyone should be protected,” Boswell said

Mahaffey noted that he even has several homosexuals that are helping with his campaign.

“I am proud to have gay friends that are supporting my candidacy,” he said

The third candidate Jay Marcus, who is running on the Natural Law Party ticket took a different view. He focused on trying to keep a positive attitude and outlook that discriminates no one.

“We need to be more broad minded,” Marcus said. “It isn’t you against me, Republican against Democrat, black against white, heterosexual against homosexual, we are one race. The human race and we need to stick and pull together and join forces together against any form of discrimination.”

The three candidates addressed other pertinent issues, the gay rights issue is just one of the latest debates being conducted during the highly contested congressional race.

There was a much less confrontational mood during this debate as the candidates discussed issues ranging from student loans to Medicare.

Although the three shared views on some issues, such as student loans, they differed greatly on their stances on a balanced budget.

Marcus believes that the government needs to be prevention oriented with the inclusion of spending prevention methods.

Mahaffey said there should be a reduction in social security benefits for those that make over $50,000 a year.

Boswell said we need to get the budget balanced before we can eliminate the deficit.