Florida Senator Marco Rubio on Thursday
denied that opposing gay marriage makes him a bigot.
In addressing a crowd at the
Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) taking place in
National Harbor, Maryland, Rubio, a Republican, lashed out at his
critics.
“I respect people who disagree with
me on certain things, but that means they have to respect me too,”
Rubio
said. “Just because I believe states should have the right to
define marriage in a traditional way does not make me a bigot. Just
because we believe that life, all human life, all life, all human
life is worthy of protection in every stage of its development
doesn't make you a chauvinist. In fact, the people who are actually
close minded in American politics are people who love to preach about
the certainty of science in regard to our climate, but ignore the
absolute fact that life begins at conception.” (The video is
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Rubio appeared on the stage with a tray
of water glasses, a humorous nod to his highly-publicized water break
during the GOP response to President Barack Obama's State of the
Union address.