Kentucky senator and potential GOP
presidential candidate Rand Paul said on Friday that allowing gay
couples to marry “offends” him.
Paul, who describes himself as a
“libertarian conservative,” made the remark in an interview with
Fox News' Bret Baier.
When Baier asked Paul about gay rights,
he
responded: “I'm for traditional marriage. I think marriage is
between a man and a woman. Ultimately, we could have fixed this a
long time ago if we just allowed contracts between adults. We didn't
have to call it marriage, which offends myself and a lot of people.”
“I think having competing contracts
that would give them equivalency before the law would have solved a
lot of these problems, and it may be where we're still headed,” he
added.
Ian Sams, spokesman for the Democratic
National Committee (DNC), said Paul's comments demonstrate that he's
out of touch with mainstream Americans.
“By saying he's willing to broaden
the GOP's tent and reach out to new constituencies, Rand Paul is
trying to pull the wool over our eyes,” Sams told the Washington
Blade. “Saying marriage equality 'offends' him gives us
yet another glimpse of Paul’s true colors – a restrictive, retro
social agenda that sets back LGBT rights and questions longstanding
gains in civil rights. Support for marriage equality is at record
highs, and most Americans now live in states where it’s legal.
What’s truly offensive is Rand Paul’s insistence on being stuck
in the past and failing to support equal rights for LGBT Americans.”