A Massachusetts politician passed a kidney stone during a 90-minute debate on Tuesday.
Democrat State Treasurer Steve Grossman of Newton, Mass., was in severe physical pain during the evening forum on LGBTQI rights against co-candidate Scott Lively, campaign spokesperson Chandra Allard told the Boston Globe.
During the debate, which was hosted by WGBH and MassEquality at the Boston Public Library, the legislator and gubernatorial hopeful experienced pain that some have compared to childbirth, the Globe reported.
Allard said Grossman's level of pain was a 10 on a scale from 1-to-10, according to the Boston Globe. But that didn't stop him from addressing questions on transgender rights, the need for sex education, and the problems LGBTQI citizens face every day.
Lively, who has never been shy about his anti-gay stance, said he wanted to "advance a biblical world view" on homosexuality during the debate.
Three independents and five Democratic gubernatorial candidates were also in attendance. Lively was reportedly the only politician present who did not support members of the LGBTQI community.
According to the Globe, Grossman has encountered many painful bouts of kidney stones in the past. For the past 30 years, Allard said the Massachusetts democrat has suffered from the ailment.
Grossman reportedly woke up at 3:45 in the morning on Tuesday in physical agony from the stone, but refused to cancel or augment his plans for the day.
He was scheduled to attend GetKonnected's Diversity Game Changer Awards ceremony following the debate, the Globe reported.
