Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, a
Republican, is hoping for a truce on gay marriage within the
Republican Party.
Paul, who is often mentioned as a
possible presidential candidate in 2016, made his remarks in an
interview with Vocativ.com.
“I think that the Republican Party,
in order to get bigger, will have to agree to disagree on social
issues,” Paul said. “The Republican Party is not going to give
up on having quite a few people who do believe in traditional
marriage. But the Republican Party also has to find a place for
young people and others who don’t want to be festooned by those
issues.”
However, Paul reiterated that the
debate should continue.
“On issues that are very contentious,
that involve social mores – I think that allowing different parts
of the country to make their decision based on the local mores and
culture is a good idea. But when it comes to taxes and benefits, the
[federal] government ought to take a neutral position – a way where
marriage wouldn't have an effect, positive or negative, on those
things.”
Bryan Fischer, AFA's most ardent
opponent of gay rights, said Paul's stance was “dangerous.”
“Rand Paul's position on GOP &
marriage [is] dangerous. Would he have given up fight against
slavery if millennials were for it?” Fischer rhetorically asked in
a tweet, referring to recent surveys showing wide support for
marriage equality among young adults.
(Related: Pew
poll: 61% of young Republicans support gay marriage.)
“GOP: leadership is not capitulating
to pro-sodomy millennials. It is convincing them of the superiority
of natural marriage,” he
added.