Welle To Hold 'Adoption Rally' Outside Smith's Freehold Offices

FREEHOLD, NJ — The campaign of Josh Welle, the Democrat hoping to unseat Chris Smith as Monmouth and Ocean counties' longtime Republican congressman, announced on Friday he will hold an "adoption rally" outside Smith's Freehold district offices next Wednesday, Sept. 19.

Smith found himself in some serious hot water this week, when an LGBTQ news publication, the Washington Blade, wrote this article on remarks he made at Colts Neck High School earlier this May, where students peppered him with questions about gay adoption, or adoption by same-sex parents.

The Blade wrote Smith told a student that he thinks orphanages are better than a child being adopted by same-sex parents. That allegation spread through social media and the news industry like wildfire on Wednesday.

However, as Patch reported late Wednesday night, that characterization was not accurate and Smith never even actually said that at all. In fact, when a student specifically asked him, ""So you would say that foster care and orphanages would be in the better interest of the child?" Smith replied, "No, Lord no! We have waiting periods for families to adopt children, uh, often by years. But certainly long waiting periods of couples who would love to adopt, but the child is simply not available."

Smith did say however, that he would again vote to ban federal funds from being used in gay adoptions, as he did in 1999, and he clearly seemed uneasy and uncomfortable with the idea of same-sex couples adopting children.

Welle, the Democrat, continues to relentlessly attack Smith for his remarks. While it's not quite clear what Wednesday's "adoption rally" will exactly be about, it appears to definitely tie into Smith's remarks on gay adoption.

Welle will be outside Smith's offices at 112 Village Center Drive in the Raintree Shopping Center in Freehold at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Welle campaign is calling Wednesday's protest “Fight For Our Families: A Rally for Inclusion." Welle will be joined by the original Colts Neck High School student who questioned Rep. Smith, Hannah Valdes, members of the LGBTQ community and adoptive parents and their families.

Patch will be there covering it.

"After a national spotlight was shone on Rep. Chris Smith’s anti-equality agenda by an exclusive story from the Washington Blade, the Smith campaign finally spoke up, albeit in defense of his bigotry," Welle's team said in a press release put on Thursday. "Smith’s campaign released the full 50 minute audio of the incident at Colts Neck High School where Smith clearly laid out his anti-gay, extreme beliefs to an auditorium full of high school students."

“Well Chris Smith, if you would vote to deprive children from the opportunity to find a home with a loving gay couple, what options are you leaving these kids? Either get adopted by a straight couple ... or stay in an orphanage," said Welle on Thursday.

“I fought on the front lines in the Navy after 9/11 to protect this Constitution and the liberties it guarantees for all people, not just some,” Welle added. “Maybe if he had held a town hall in the last 25 years, Smith would know that the people of the 4th Congressional district will not stand for injustice and inequality. Not in 2018. Not in Central Jersey.”

Here is the entire transcript of the gay adoption exchange Smith had with students at Colts Neck High:

Around minute 41:42: A female student asks, "In 1999, this is a while ago, but you voted 'yes' on banning gay adoptions in D.C. Do you still stand by that?"

Smith: "My belief, and it's a strongly held belief ... in 2008 President Obama, he was then Sen. Obama, spoke at the Saddleback Church — I was in the front row! — Barack Obama was asked a question about marriage. Define marriage, was the question. And he said I believe marriage is between a man and woman and he said, God is in the mix. That was from Sen. Barack Obama. Now he has changed. He now supports same-sex marriage. My belief is squarely where his used to be. Uh, that marriage is between a man and a woman. And adoption ... adoption is all about the best interest of the child. Now there are people who feel the best interest of the child is for gay couples to adopt. I really believe that the best interest is you find a home where they are more likely ... I mean ... a home study is done that takes in all kinds of factors. And I would vote the same way frankly as I did then."

Smith was referring to his 1999 vote the student mischaracterized: He voted in favor of an amendment that would prohibit federal funding from being used in same-sex adoptions in Washington, D.C.

Smith went on to say that he finds it "disconcerting" that "some of the best organizations for adoption have been put out of business because of their refusal to facilitate same-sex adoptions," and referenced Catholic Charities, which can no longer arrange any adoptions in Washington, D.C., Illinois, Massachusetts and other states because they do not facilitate gay adoption.

At 44 minutes: The next question by a female student is a little hard to hear: "So you would say that foster care and orphanages would be in the better interest of the child?"

Smith: "No, Lord no! We have waiting periods for families to adopt children, uh, often by years. But certainly long waiting periods of couples who would love to adopt, but the child is simply not available."

Other questions are then asked, about Trump's tax cut bill, and the conversation then circles back to gay adoption.

At 48 minutes: A female student (identified as Hannah Valdes, a senior) asks: "My sister is gay, and she's talked about wanting to adopt a child one day with her partner, and I just wanted to know if you think that based on household studies she would be less of a legitimate parent and why she couldn't have —"

Smith: "Well again, the issue, legally, is moot, at this point, especially with the Supreme Court decision. And she's free to adopt."

Student: "Right. But why do you think she shouldn't be able to adopt a child?"

Smith: "Well, I think you're getting to — I do believe that there are many others who would like to adopt who can't acquire a child. As I said, the waiting periods are extremely long, and uh —"

Question by another female student: "Okay, so what makes them more legitimate than her sister, those other people who are waiting for a child?"

Smith: "Well you know, in my opinion, a child needs every possibility of — somebody mentioned orphanages before, orphanages are still a possibility for some kids, but um —"

Student: "You'd rather have kids in an orphanage than with —"

A man's voice (it was apparently a school administrator) interjects with an off-topic question, and the topic of gay adoption is not resumed.

Provided by Smith's campaign, here is audio of his entire 53-minute talk that day. The part about gay adoption goes for about seven minutes, from about minute 41 to minute 48.

Original Patch reporting: Listen: Full Audio Of Rep. Chris Smith's Views On Gay Adoption