Here’s a glimpse of what we could expect if somehow all other candidates were rendered incapacitated and Rick Santorum managed to win the White House:

At a campaign event at a bowling alley in Wisconsin today, GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum told a boy who reached for a pink bowling ball: “You’re not gonna use the pink ball. We’re not gonna let you do that. Not on camera.” Santorum went on to say “Friends don’t let friends use pink balls.” The comments were tweeted by Reuters reporter Sam Youngman.

“This is another example of Rick Santorum intentionally making ignorant statements that have a real impact on LGBT people,” said HRC Vice President of Communications Fred Sainz. “Whether he’s comparing our marriages to inanimate objects, saying our children would be better off with a parent in prison as opposed to two loving same-sex parents, or calling open military service a ‘tragic social experiment;’ he’s proven that he thinks LGBT people are second-class citizens not worthy of dignity or respect. In this case, he’s advancing tired gender norms by implying a boy should be ashamed or embarrassed to use a certain color bowling ball.”

Hi, do you know what’s weird? The kid probably was just grabbing whichever ball was there. Regardless of who the kid grows up to be, it seems that he wasn’t completely FREAKED OUT the way purported adult Rick Santorum was over the idea of a male human using a pink bowling ball.

Also, it was a very Republican thing of Rick Santorum to say when he clarified that it was not okay to use a pink bowling ball “on camera,” which I assume means it’s okay if you’re off camera, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

[h/t John Aravosis]