Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a
Republican, on Thursday said that he's opposed to “special
protections” for gays.
Rubio made his remarks to progressive
blog Think Progress at the opening luncheon of the annual Faith and
Freedom Forum.
When asked whether he supports the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would outlaw
workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity, Rubio suggested such a law would offer LGBT workers
“special protections.”
“The Senate this summer is going to
be taking up the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which makes it
illegal to fire someone for being gay. Do you know if you'll be
supporting that?” Scott Keyes asked Rubio from inside an elevator.
“I haven't read the legislation,”
Rubio
answered. “By and large I think all Americans should be
protected, but I'm not for any special protections based on
orientation.”
“What about on race or gender?”
“Well, that's established law,”
Rubio, a Cuban-American, answered. (The video is embedded on this
page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
(Related: Marco
Rubio threatens to pull support for immigration bill over gay
rights.)