By ALEXANDRA MASS
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio would reverse LGBT rights if elected by appointing a conservative Supreme Court justice.
Rubio first mentioned this at the GOP debate on February 2, 2016. He explained that he would appoint justices to the Supreme Court that share his beliefs in preventing gay couple’s rights. With the recent passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia there is a position open for someone to step up and have some power over the issue.
Rubio believes that same sex marriage it is not a constitutional right and was a mistake to begin with. Rubio’s plan to take away the constitutional rights of the LGBT community after they were just given them has shocked many voters.
Rachel Mollozzi, member of the Republican club at Ramapo College is unsure of which candidate she is supporting for this election.
“After watching the GOP debate and actually listening to what Rubio had to say I honestly have no idea who I want to represent our party,” said Mollozzi. “There is a struggle of being Republican while not being a conservative. I agree with some things but not all things that these candidates represent. Marriage equality is one thing I strongly agree with that Rubio does not.”
Almost all of the Republican candidates have voiced their opinions on same sex marriage, and while most agree with what they call a more “traditional marriage” very few claim to keep an open mind.
Although Rubio is still behind candidates Ted Cruz and Donald Trump in the polls, there is still a chance the numbers could shift as the election progresses.
The Future of the LGBT Community
If a Republican candidate was to be elected, he could greatly impact the lives of the LGBT community and what kinds of rights for which they would be eligible.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, a LGBT rights group, “As a candidate, Rubio said he opposed making sexual orientation a protected class under civil rights laws. Despite claiming he opposed discrimination, Rubio voted against ENDA–which would have given LGBT Americans explicit protection from discrimination in the workplace–and he threatened to oppose his own immigration bill if it included provisions for same-sex couples.”
Sophomore Democrat Daniel Caposele feels that Rubio’s plan will only put our nation behind in the progress we have already made.
“There is still much progress to be made with getting rights and equality for the community other than marriage, but marriage was a huge step in the right direction and taking that away would be discouraging,” Caposele said.
Although very few Republican candidates have ever supported the rights for same sex couples, it is still shocking to see that all that President Obama worked on could be wiped away if Rubio were to be elected, voters say.
“If he is able to get the Supreme Court to reverse that then the whole community is losing rights,”Caposele said. “I would feel like the country, or at least the government, doesn’t care about equality for its citizens.”
[AUDIO: Listen to Ramapo student Hunter Willie talk about Rubio as a candidate.]
I thought this story was very thorough and discussed exactly what the headline claimed. I really like how you pulled quotes from both Democrat and Republican perspectives, it made your story more objective. You have strong quotes and great general facts about where Rubio currently stands in the election. I also love the picture you included with the colorful background, great choice!