Lawmaker apologizes for 'sluts' comment

State Rep. Larry Liston

Rep. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, today was backing away from comments he made Wednesday in which he referred to unwed teenage parents as "sluts."

The comments, made during a caucus meeting of House Republicans and reported by the Colorado Springs Gazette, outraged Rep. Stella Garza Hicks, also a a Colorado Springs Republican. She called on Liston to apologize.

According to the Gazette, Liston remarked to fellow Republicans, "In my parents' day and age, (unmarried teen parents) were sent away, they were shunned, they were called what they are. There was at least a sense of shame."
"There's no sense of shame today. Society condones it ... I think it's wrong. They're sluts. And I don't mean just the women. I mean the men, too."

Liston said today he had apologized to Garza Hicks. She was not immediately available for comment.

"We're fine," he said, saying, "I certainly could've used different words."

Liston said his comments also sparked a reaction from his wife.

"She advised me I probably could've come up with a different set of words," he said.

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[Rep. Liston Statement Regarding Teen Pregnancy Comments, 2/07/08]

State Rep. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, today issued the following statement in regard to comments that he made yesterday at a health care forum:

"The derogatory term I used was offensive and inappropriate and I would like to apologize for using it.

"Because of my unfortunate choice of language, the message that I was trying to get across about personal responsibility, and parental responsibility, has been overshadowed. I certainly regret using the term I did."

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