Earlier today Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen posed for the NOH8 gay rights campaign. Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio, who as a young man got his political start as an intern in Ros-Lehtinen's congressional office, made two jaw-dropping statements in which he firmly opposed gay rights.
Rubio went on the Andrea Tantaros Show today and claimed he'd walk away from his own immigration bill if any amendments were made to it that would grant immigration rights to gay couples.
"If this bill has something in it that gives gay couples immigration rights and so forth, it kills the bill. I'm done," Rubio said. "I'm off it, and I've said that repeatedly. I don't think that's going to happen and it shouldn't happen. This is already a difficult enough issue as it is."
Though many Democrats have already resigned themselves that any amendments geared towards protecting gay couples would likely fail.
However, Rubio wasn't done with the casual homophobia today.
Think Progress asked Rubio if he supports laws that would make it illegal to fire someone simply because they're gay. Rubio, unsurprisingly, said he does not.
Here's the video:
And the transcript:
KEYES: The Senate this summer is going to be taking up the Employment Non-Discrimination Act which makes it illegal to fire someone for being gay. Do you know if you'll be supporting that?RUBIO: I haven't read the legislation. By and large I think all Americans should be protected but I'm not for any special protections based on orientation.
KEYES: What about on race or gender?
RUBIO: Well that's established law.
KEYES: But not for sexual orientation?
ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, is a simple piece of legislation gay rights advocates have been trying to pass unsuccessfully for years. The bill would prohibit companies for firing or not hiring someone simply because they're gay (or, in the case of the current version of the bill, transgendered).
Apparently, Rubio is not willing to prohibit that sort of thing.
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