Appearing at Saturday's Republican
presidential debate, Florida Senator Marco Rubio claimed that his
opposition to marriage equality doesn't make him a hater.
“On one hand, it's clear young people
across the political spectrum increasingly favor same-sex marriage,”
Fox News contributor Mary Katharine Ham said. “However, young
voters have not moved to the left on abortion.”
“How do you speak to millennials on
both these issues while Democrats will inevitably charge intolerance
and extremism?” Ham asked Rubio.
“I don't believe that believing in
traditional marriage the way I do makes you a bigot or a hater,”
Rubio answered. “It means that you believe that this institution
that's been around for millennia is an important cornerstone of our
society.”
“I respect people that believe
differently. But I believe deeply that marriage should be between
one man and one woman,” he added.
While Rubio opposes a constitutional
amendment that would exclude gay and lesbian couples from marriage by
defining the institution as a heterosexual union, he's said that he
would appoint Supreme Court justices who oppose marriage equality.
Rubio has also said that allowing gay
couples to marry threatens
Christianity.
On other related related issues, Rubio
is opposed to protections based on sexual orientation and gender
identity and opposed repeal of the military's “Don't Ask, Don't
Tell” policy.