Just hours after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) reaffirmed on a TV show June 13 that he would not support immigration reform if it extended to gay families, he told another interviewer it shouldn’t be illegal to fire someone for being gay.
Rubio was speaking at the Faith and Freedom Forum when he was asked by a reporter with the progressive political blog ThinkProgress about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill to make discrimination against LGBT individuals illegal across the country.
Rubio, who has been touted as a top GOP presidential prospect in 2016, was asked whether he supported the bill, expected to be taken up this summer by the Senate, which would make it illegal to fire someone for being gay.
“I haven’t read the legislation, but by and large I think all Americans should be protected,” Rubio said. “I’m not for any special protections based on orientation.”
Workplace discrimination is a frequent reality for LGBT individuals. Two out of every five openly lesbian, gay, or bisexual employees have reported discrimination at their jobs, according to ThinkProgress. Among transgender workers, that figure rises to nine out of ten.
Republicans have applauded Rubio’s so-called “middle ground” on LGBT issues, his record of tells different story. In addition to opposing ENDA and protections for gay families with regard to immigration reform, Rubio does not support marriage equality.
