Marco Rubio To Headline Radical Anti-LGBT Event

[finehoe]

Rubio will be headlining at "Rediscovering God in America," to be held on August 12. Among those in attendance will be Mat Staver, Kim Davis's legal counsel; David  Barton, the faux historian who had a big hand in this year's hateful GOP platform; and David Lane, a religious right leader who said that car bombs would be an appropriate response to gay visibility.

In a particularly sickening twist, the event will be held in Orlando, just two months after the Pulse massacre.

Marco Rubio was supposed to be the future of the Republican party, at least until he revealed himself to be a defective android during this year's primary season. The party still pins its hopes on him to save it from its current mess at some future date.

But if the party is ever to recover from the complete meltdown it is now experiencing, it's going to have to start denouncing the hatred in its ranks. And a good place to start would be with the vicious antigay right.

Of course, maybe this is expecting too much from Rubio. After all, where other people viewed the carnage of the Pulse massacre and saw tragedy and heartbreak, Rubio surveyed the scene to discover a career opportunity. Perhaps he's every bit the ambitious lightweight that his critics make him out to be. Maybe he's too enchanted by the antigay rhetoric or too cowardly to say otherwise.

But somebody has to. Not just for the country's sake, though dampening the hateful language could end some of the hateful acts against LGBT Americans. But also for the Republican party's sake. Every other major conservative party in the Western world is perfectly fine with gays. It's only the fringe extremists who are not.

Until some Republican leader can step forward and break the grip that hatred has on his or her party, the GOP is condemning itself to remaining on the fringe and watching its future slip away.

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/marco-rubio-headline-radical-anti-lgbt-event

[spuwho]

Guilty by Association?

[Adam White]

Guilty by Association?

Maybe - but he's an adult and can choose where he wants to appear (and who he shares a bill with).

[finehoe]

Guilty by Association?

That is your same insipid response to every report of a politician endorsing a homophobic group by appearing on their stage.  Politicians don't speak at KKK rallies any more for a reason.  The sooner they do the same at anti-gay events the better.

[Adam White]

Guilty by Association?

  Politicians don't speak at KKK rallies any more for a reason.  The sooner they do the same at anti-gay events the better.

+1 (sorry to blindly agree with you, of course)

[spuwho]

Guilty by Association?

That is your same insipid response to every report of a politician endorsing a homophobic group by appearing on their stage.  Politicians don't speak at KKK rallies any more for a reason.  The sooner they do the same at anti-gay events the better.

Insipid?

You know, they are still Americans and have thoughts and opinions on the economy, foriegn policy, social issues, etc.

Now one may not agree with all of things they have to say and you certainly dont have to take their money, but there is nothing wrong with engagement as part of representation.

I would rather promote engagement even if the politico doesnt support their causes. That goes all ways.

I cant speak for Mr. Rubio motivations.

[finehoe]

I cant speak for Mr. Rubio motivations.

Do you really think he's there to "engage" them on their ugly bigotry?  Come on.

[spuwho]

I cant speak for Mr. Rubio motivations.

Do you really think he's there to "engage" them on their ugly bigotry?  Come on.

As I noted, engagement can be for various reasons.

If Nixon went to China and said they were arrogant Communist bastards with no respect for human life, he probably wouldnt have gotten very far.

Dont let your hatred of bigotry cloud your ability to convince others of it being wrong.  Otherwise you become just as recalcitrant as they are.

[finehoe]

http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016/07/18/24357871/the-utter-failure-of-the-log-cabin-republicans

[Adam White]

I cant speak for Mr. Rubio motivations.

Do you really think he's there to "engage" them on their ugly bigotry?  Come on.

As I noted, engagement can be for various reasons.

If Nixon went to China and said they were arrogant Communist bastards with no respect for human life, he probably wouldnt have gotten very far.

Dont let your hatred of bigotry cloud your ability to convince others of it being wrong.  Otherwise you become just as recalcitrant as they are.

There's a difference between statesmanship and sharing the bill at an event - presumably, a paid event.

The President frequently has to deal with all sorts of undesireable people. But choosing to appear at a bigot convention is different.

[finehoe]

Eliel Cruz, executive director of Faith in America, assailed Rubio for participating in the event.

"The event 'Rediscovering God in America Renewal Project' is a who's who of some of the country's most hateful anti-LGBT persons," Cruz said. "It's incredulous a senator of the United States is willing to collude with individuals who are dedicated to oppressing LGBT people. The beliefs shared by this group actively harm LGBT people. This is not the America we want. God will not be found anywhere near that event."

Rubio's office didn't respond to a request for comment on whether it's appropriate for the senator to attend the anti-LGBT event after citing a mass shooting at a gay nightclub as a reason to continue in public service.

Seems like if he was going there to 'engage' them, his office would be anxious to share this information.

[peestandingup]

I noticed no one was rushing back to post what actually happened. Go figure:

Marco Rubio Warns Christian Conservatives of the Costs of Gay Intolerance

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who has faced widespread condemnation for agreeing to speak at a conference alongside Christian conservatives who have denounced homosexuality and gay rights, used his speech to the group on Friday to warn of the costs of intolerance.

His remarks in Orlando, Fla., not far from the site of the massacre at a gay nightclub in June, were his most extensive yet in public on the subject of prejudice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. And he struck a notably softer tone than during his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, during which he repeatedly reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage.

Using the shorthand "L.G.B.T." several times, Mr. Rubio told the group that the perception that many Christians are anti-gay is harming their faith. He urged them to resist passing judgment on gays.

"Do not judge, or you will be judged," he said, echoing a verse from the Bible. "To love our neighbors we must recognize that many have experienced sometimes severe condemnation and judgment from some Christians," he said. "They have heard some say that the reason God will bring condemnation on America is because of them — as if somehow God was willing to put up with adultery and gluttony and greed and pride, but now this is the last straw."

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/13/us/politics/marco-rubio-christian-conservatives-gays.html?_r=0

[vicupstate]

Sounds like Marco has grown from some recent experiences. It took courage to speak truth to judgmental power. I hope the audience was listening.
   

[finehoe]

I noticed no one was rushing back to post what actually happened.

Hadn't seen this.  Thanks for posting.

[spuwho]

I noticed no one was rushing back to post what actually happened. Go figure:

Marco Rubio Warns Christian Conservatives of the Costs of Gay Intolerance

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who has faced widespread condemnation for agreeing to speak at a conference alongside Christian conservatives who have denounced homosexuality and gay rights, used his speech to the group on Friday to warn of the costs of intolerance.

His remarks in Orlando, Fla., not far from the site of the massacre at a gay nightclub in June, were his most extensive yet in public on the subject of prejudice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. And he struck a notably softer tone than during his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, during which he repeatedly reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage.

Using the shorthand "L.G.B.T." several times, Mr. Rubio told the group that the perception that many Christians are anti-gay is harming their faith. He urged them to resist passing judgment on gays.

"Do not judge, or you will be judged," he said, echoing a verse from the Bible. "To love our neighbors we must recognize that many have experienced sometimes severe condemnation and judgment from some Christians," he said. "They have heard some say that the reason God will bring condemnation on America is because of them — as if somehow God was willing to put up with adultery and gluttony and greed and pride, but now this is the last straw."

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/13/us/politics/marco-rubio-christian-conservatives-gays.html?_r=0

Thanks for posting this. Kudos to Marco for the strength of engagement. Hopefully this will improve the discussion going forward.