Gary Johnson is considering leaving the
Republican Party in part because of its anti-gay rhetoric.
The former New Mexico governor and
presidential candidate told gay glossy The
Advocate that he's considering seeking the Libertarian
nomination.
Johnson, whose common sense and good
judgment were recently lauded in a GQ
story titled Is Gary Johnson the Sanest Man Running for
President?, came out in support
of gay marriage earlier this month during an online town hall with
Jimmy LaSalvia, co-founder and executive director of gay GOP group
GOProud. Johnson previously supported civil unions for gay and
lesbian couples.
“I've been in the
Republican Party my entire life,” Johnson told the magazine. “And
I don't feel like I'm leaving the Republican Party as much as the
party is leaving me.”
Johnson said the
anti-gay rhetoric of some candidates in his party was “deeply
offensive.”
“I don't think
I'm different than a lot of Americans, in that when you grow up,
there's a negative prejudice built against gays. You're just
bombarded by it,” Johnson said. “And then, in my life, I've come
to find out that I have friends who are gay. And it makes me feel
horrible that I would in any way potentially add to discrimination
against them. Every single candidate talks about equality, freedom,
liberty: Doesn't that all start with a person's right to conduct
their own lives as they see fit?”