Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a
Republican, has described Wisconsin's ban on gay marriage as part of
a “healthy balance” of LGBT rights.
Walker made his comments during an
interview recorded Friday with Bloomberg TV.
Host Al Hunt asked Walker whether the
U.S. House should follow in the Senate's footsteps and approve the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which seeks to prohibit
workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity.
“In Wisconsin, we've had
anti-discriminatory laws that are very similar to that for more than
30 years and they work quite effectively. We're also a state that
has a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as one man and
one woman.” Walker said.
“So, similar to the Wisconsin bill,
the House bill should be something that …,” Hunt started to say.
“Yeah, I mean, we've not had
problems. We've had no problems – I should say, limited problems –
with that. At the same time, we still have a constitutional
amendment that defines marriage. There's a healthy balance there.”
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The Walker administration has refused
to defend a domestic partnership registry signed into law in 2009 by
former Governor Jim Doyle, a Democrat. The registry offers gay and
lesbian couples limited rights and recognition. Walker fired private
attorneys hired by Doyle to defend the law in a court challenge.
Last year, the 4th District Court of Appeals declared the
law to be constitutional. Opponents vowed to appeal the ruling to
Wisconsin's Republican-leaning Supreme Court.