Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a
Republican candidate for the White House, said over the weekend that
it was “absurd” to believe that gay couples have a constitutional
right to marry.
Rubio's statement comes as the Supreme
Court prepares to hear arguments in a case challenging gay marriage
bans in four states.
(Related: Supreme Court hears arguments
in gay marriage case.)
During an appearance on the Christian
Broadcasting Network's (CBN) The Brody File, host David Brody
asked Rubio where he stands on the issue.
“It doesn’t exist,” Rubio
answered. “There is no federal constitutional right to same
sex-marriage. There isn't such a right. You would have to really
have a ridiculous and absurd reading of the U.S. constitution to
reach the conclusion that people have a right to marry someone of the
same sex. There is no such constitutional right. Can a state decide
to change their laws? Yes, but only through the political process,
not through the court system and that's what is happening now.”
“The advocates of same-sex marriage
refuse to go to the legislatures because they can't win that debate,
they don't want to have a debate in society. They want courts to
impose it on people and they are not even satisfied with that. They
have now gone further. They want to stigmatize, they want to
ostracize anyone who disagrees with them as haters. It's very
simple. This is not a policy against anyone. I believe, as do a
significant percentage of Americans, that the institution of
marriage, an institution that existed before government, that has
existed before laws, that institution should remain in our laws
recognized as the union of one man and one woman.”
In recent interviews, Rubio has said
that being gay is not a choice and that he would attend the same-sex
wedding of someone he loves, but added that he remains opposed to
marriage equality.