Sen. Marco Rubio on “Spicer & Co.” (Screenshot via Newsmax)
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) hopes Pope Francis will tell President Joe Biden not to hire “transexual” teachers during their scheduled meeting Oct. 29, the Florida Senator said during a Newsmax interview Oct. 27.
Rubio, in an interview on former Trump administration Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s show “Spicer & Co.,” asserted that faith-based schools are being “targeted” as a part of a “federal takeover” of Pre-K and child care.
Rubio raised the issue when Spicer asked him a question about abortion.
“So if someone shows up and they’re an atheist, you have to hire them,” Rubio said. “If someone shows up and they’re anti-Catholic and you’re a Catholic school, they can’t discriminate on the basis of that. Not to mention if they’re transsexual or lives a lifestyle that goes contrary to the teachings of the church. I hope things like that — Religious liberties in the United States are an issue that he raises.
“And what it’s going to say, according to the House bill they’ve already passed on this, is that if you’re a faith-based organization and you want to participate in what will be a Universal Pre-K Child Care federal program. You won’t be able to teach about your faith and you cannot apply the teachings of your faith to your hiring practices,” he continued.
Rubio’s use of the term “transexual” is outdated and offensive to many transgender people. While still preferred by some, many trans people identify as “transgender,” not “transexual,” according to the GLAAD Media Reference Guide.
According to Florida Politics, it is unclear whether Biden and Pope Francis will discuss these issues during their meeting. But White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki expects a “warm” conversation focusing on “poverty, combating the climate crisis, ending the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Rubio is up for re-election in 2022. He is being challenged for his Senate seat by U.S. Rep. Val Demings.
