Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Gay rights
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 Rick Perry |
Governor of Texas (2000-2015) Lieutenant Governor of Texas (1998-2000) Texas Agriculture Commissioner (1990 - 1998) Texas House of Representatives (1984-1990) |
 Republican candidate: |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
- In July 2015, Rick Perry expressed support for a ban on openly gay leaders in the Boy Scouts of America. "I believe that Scouting would be better off if they didn't have openly gay Scoutmasters," Perry said.[2]
- On June 26, 2015, Rick Perry issued the following statement regarding the decision in Obergefell v. Hodges: "I am disappointed the Supreme Court today chose to change the centuries old definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. I’m a firm believer in traditional marriage, and I also believe the 10th Amendment leaves it to each state to decide this issue. I fundamentally disagree with the court rewriting the law and assaulting the 10th Amendment. Our founding fathers did not intend for the judicial branch to legislate from the bench, and as president, I would appoint strict Constitutional conservatives who will apply the law as written."[3]
- In June 2014, Rick Perry compared homosexuality to alcoholism, saying, "Whether or not you feel compelled to follow a particular lifestyle or not, you have the ability to decide not to do that. I may have the genetic coding that I’m inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the desire not to do that, and I look at the homosexual issue the same way."[4]
- In 2011, Mark Miner, a spokesman for Perry, said the governor did not support transgender individuals being allowed to marry.[5]
- Perry supported a ballot measure in November 2005 that added an amendment to the Texas Constitution defining marriage as "a union between a man and a woman." After a federal court struck down the law in 2014, Perry released this statement: "Texans spoke loud and clear by overwhelmingly voting to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman in our Constitution, and it is not the role of the federal government to overturn the will of our citizens. The 10th Amendment guarantees Texas voters the freedom to make these decisions, and this is yet another attempt to achieve via the courts what couldn't be achieved at the ballot box. We will continue to fight for the rights of Texans to self-determine the laws of our state."[6][7]
- In 2005, Perry said he would not oppose a bill to reform Child Protective Services in Texas even if it did not include a ban against gay foster parents. According to the Houston Chronicle, Perry would prefer a foster child be placed with "a family that had a mom and dad" but acknowledged "loving and caring" gay foster parents are "better than having the kids being abused, obviously."[8]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Rick + Perry + Gay + Rights
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ CNN, "Rick Perry launches comeback White House bid," June 4, 2015
- ↑ TIME, "Perry Still Opposes Gay Scout Leaders, While Walker Backtracks," July 19, 2015
- ↑ Perry for President, "Statement by Gov. Perry on SCOTUS Same-Sex Marriage Ruling," June 26, 2015
- ↑ Newsweek, "Rick Perry Thinks Homosexuality Is a Lot Like Alcoholism," June 12, 2014
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Texas May Strip Away Transgender Marriage Rights," April 25, 2011
- ↑ Legislative Reference Library of Texas, "HJR 6, 79th Regular Session," accessed June 15, 2015
- ↑ NPR, "Federal Judge Voids Texas Gay Marriage Ban," February 26, 2014
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "CPS fix outranks gay issue, Perry says," April 28, 2005
