Romney's Views On Gay Marriage: Also Evolvg? : NPR

Contents:

• ROMNEY'S VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE: ALSO EVOLVG?
• FACTBOX: PRINTIAL NDIDAT' VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• BLAKE MASTERS’ VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE MAY SURPRISE HIS POLIL MASTER PETER THIELMASTER AND COMMANDERTHE TECH BILLNAIRE HAS BEEN MAKG MAJOR NTRIBUTNS TO HIS FORMER EMPLOYEE FOR HIS U.S. SENATE BID. HE MIGHT BE SURPRISED BY MASTERS’ VIEW ON THIEL’S OWN WEDDG.ROGER SOLLENBERGERSENR POLIL REPORTERUPDATED JUN. 27, 2022 6:02AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 27, 2022 4:18AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THOMAS LEVSON/THE DAILY BEAST/GETTY/ALAMYREPUBLIN SENATORIAL NDIDATE BLAKE MASTERS ENJOYS THE FANCIAL AND POLIL SUPPORT OF HIS LONGTIME IEND, MENTOR, AND BILLNAIRE BS PARTNER PETER THIEL, WHO IS GAY. BUT MASTERS, WHO ATTEND THIEL’S WEDDG, ALSO APPARENTLY BELIEV THIEL’S MARRIAGE SHOULD BE ILLEGAL.“IT’S NOT JT DISNEY, YOU KNOW—‘FOLLOW YOUR HEART,’” MASTERS SAID AT A MPAIGN EVENT EARLIER THIS YEAR. “IT HAS A POT.”THAT “POT,” HE SAID, IS MAKG CHILDREN. AND SCE THERE’S NO PROCREATN WH SAME-SEX MARRIAG, MASTERS REASONED, THOSE UNNS DON’T HAVE A POT—AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE BANNED. MASTERS, 34, SHARED THIS PERSPECTIVE FEBARY WH AN DIENCE AT A REPUBLIN WOMEN’S CLUB EVENT SAN TAN VALLEY, ARIZONA, WHERE HE’S NNG FOR SENATE. THE 2015 SUPREME COURT CISN THAT LEGALIZED GAY MARRIAGE, HE TOLD THIS GROUP, AMOUNTED TO “SQUTG AND MAKG UP SO-LLED RIGHTS THE CONSTUTN.” “THE SUPREME COURT SHOULD NOT BE CIDG GAY MARRIAGE. IF THIS UNTRY WANTED TO LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE OR REGNIZE , WHAT YOU WOULD DO IS YOU WOULD HAVE A CONSTUTNAL AMENDMENT. IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE HARD. IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE HARD FOR A REASON,” HE SAID. “FRANKLY, THE SUPREME COURT JT SQUTG AND MAKG UP SO-LLED RIGHTS THE CONSTUTN—THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY THAT WAS FOR ABORTN, THE RIGHT TO GAY MARRIAGE—I DISAGREE WH THAT.”MASTERS THEN PIVOTED TO THIEL’S WEDDG FOR A REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE, SAYG “I WISH HIM WELL,” WHILE THE NEXT BREATH CLARG THAT THIEL’S MARRIAGE SHOULD BE AGAST THE LAW.“MY, YOU KNOW, FORMER BOSS AND MENTOR PETER THIEL IS GAY. I WENT TO HIS WEDDG LIKE, YOU KNOW, I’M— WAS GREAT, I WISH HIM WELL. I DON’T THK THE SUPREME COURT SHOULD HAVE CID THAT SE THAT WAY,” MASTERS SAID. HE ADD THAT WHILE HE DON’T THK GAY MARRIAGE IS “THE LIVE ISSUE RIGHT NOW,” HE BELIEV “MARRIAGE IS BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN.”ALTHOUGH SAME-SEX MARRIAGE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN A “LIVE ISSUE” AT THE TIME OF THAT EVENT, CERTALY GREW TO ONE THREE MONTHS LATER, WHEN THE PUBLIC GOT A PREVIEW OF WHAT LAST WEEK BEME THE MOMENTO SUPREME COURT CISN OVERTURNG ROE V. WA. THAT NTROVERSIAL LG HUNG ON A DUE PROCS ISSUE, AND THE URT ULTIMATELY KICKED THE CISN BACK TO THE DIVIDUAL STAT. BUT ROE ISN’T THE ONLY PRECENT TABLISHED ON THOSE GROUNDS; OTHER MAJOR CISNS SHARE A SIAR LEGAL STCTURE, CLUDG OBERGEFELL V. HODG, THE SE THAT SECURED THE RIGHT FOR GAY PEOPLE TO GET MARRIED.THE IMPLITNS WERE NOT LOST ON THE URT. THE URT’S THREE LIBERAL JTIC—ELENA KAGAN, STEPHEN BREYER, AND SONIA SOTOMAYOR—RAISED A WARNG THEIR DISSENT THAT OBERGEFELL ULD BE NEXT, ALONG WH PROTECTNS FOR NTRACEPTIV AND SEXUAL ACTIVY GENERALLY.WHILE THE MAJORY OF THE SCOTUS NSERVATIV PARRIED THOSE NCERNS, JTICE CLARENCE THOMAS STATED PLALY HIS OPN THAT THE COURT “SHOULD RENSIR” ALL SIAR DUE PROCS PRECENTS, LLG OBERGEFELL OUT BY NAME.MASTERS ALSO LLED THE SE OUT BY NAME, SAYG THAT WHILE HE HAD “A LOT OF PROBLEMS” WH CHIEF JTICE JOHN ROBERTS, HE ALIGNED WH ROBERTS’ “PRETTY GOOD DISSENT.”THAT’S BEE MARRIAGE, MASTERS SAID, “HAS A POT.”“MARRIAGE IS AN STUTN THAT GO BACK THOANDS OF YEARS, AND HAS A POT. THE POT IS PROCREATN AND CREATG CHILDREN,” MASTERS SAID.THIEL’S MARRIAGE, MASTERS’ VIEW, WOULD SEEM TO HAVE NO POT.IT’S UNCLEAR HOW THIS SQUAR WH THE “GREAT” WEDDG MASTERS ATTEND BETWEEN THIEL AND HIS NOW HBAND, MATT DANZEISEN. THIEL, PAYPAL -FOUNR AND AN EARLY FACEBOOK VTOR, GOT HCHED AFTER OBERGEFELL, THOUGH THE LONGTIME UPLE DIDN’T HOLD THE CEREMONY THE UNED STAT. THEY STEAD VED GUTS TO VIENNA, ATRIA, UNR THE AEGIS OF THE VENTURE PALIST’S 50TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATN, AND SURPRISED THEM WH THE WEDDG. (LOTN DID NOT MATTER; THERE WAS NO OVERSEAS LOOPHOLE WHEN ME TO THE FERAL RIGHTS EXTEND OBERGEFELL.)AT THE TIME, MASTERS WAS CFO OF THIEL CAPAL MANAGEMENT, MAKG HIM A LLEAGUE NOT JT OF THIEL, BUT ALSO OF DANZEISEN, WHO WORKED THERE AS A PORTFOL MANAGER. THIEL HAD TAKEN MASTERS UNR HIS WG A AGO, AND LAST YEAR POURED $10 LN TO BACKG THE NDIDACY OF HIS PROTEGE—WHO EQUENTLY PLUGGED HIS THEN BOSS’ TECHNOLOGY ON THE MPAIGN TRAIL.MASTERS EVENTUALLY RIGNED OM THIEL CAPAL THIS SPRG AMID ETHIL NCERNS. HE SRED FORMER PRINT DONALD TMP’S ENDORSEMENT EARLIER THIS MONTH.BUT EVEN WH TMP OUT OF OFFICE, LGBTQ RIGHTS ARE UNR ATTACK OM NSERVATIV ACROSS THE UNTRY. WH DEMOCRATS NTROLLG THE FERAL LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE BRANCH, THE ACTN HAS BEEN NFED AT THE STATE LEVEL—SOMETHG MASTERS WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE.SO FAR THIS YEAR, MORE THAN 250 ANTI-LGBTQ BILLS HAVE BEEN PUT FORWARD 37 STAT, ACRDG TO THE LEGISLATN TRACKER KEPT BY FREEDOM FOR ALL AMERINS AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN.ANTI-TRANSGENR EXTREMISM HAS LATED TO THE POT WHERE PARENTS OF TRANSGENR CHILDREN FEAR FOR THEIR SAFETY, AND THE RURGENCE OF ARCHAIC HOMOPHOBIC RHETORIC AROUND “GROOMERS” AND PEDOPHIL—FUELED BY REPUBLIN LEARS AND NSERVATIVE MEDIA—HAS STIRRED ANXIETY THE LGBTQ MUNY ABOUT LOOMG POLILLY MOTIVATED VLENCE. DAYS BEFORE THE ROE CISN WAS RELEASED, THE TEXAS REPUBLIN PARTY ROLLED OUT A RADILLY NSERVATIVE POLIL PLATFORM, NOUNCG GAY MARRIAGE AS VLATG THE “NATURAL ORR” AND VOWG TO “PROTECT” MORS OM THE “PREDATORY” DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR.IN NOVEMBER, GOP LEARS TORCHED REPUBLIN NATNAL COMMTEE CHAIR RONNA ROMNEY MCDANIEL FOR EXPRSG SUPPORT FOR GAY REPUBLINS AT A MAR-A-LAGO GALA—EVEN LLG FOR HER RIGNATN.CRICS SAY THAT THE VELOPMENTS, LIKE MASTERS’ MENTS, SHOW THAT THE REPUBLIN PARTY IS WDG BACK THE CLOCK. HOWEVER, WHEN TO GAY MARRIAGE, THE GOP’S CLOCK HAS BEEN STUCK 2016, WHEN THE OFFICIAL PARTY PLATFORM FED “NATURAL MARRIAGE” AS BETWEEN “A MAN AND A WOMAN.”BEE THE GOP CLED TO WRE A NEW PLATFORM 2020, THE CURRENT PLATFORM, WHICH WILL RRY THROUGH AT LEAST THE 2024 ELECTN, IS INTIL TO THE ONE OM 2016—THE YEAR AFTER OBERGEFELL.THE LIBERTARIAN THIEL ACTUALLY SPOKE AT THE 2016 NVENTN JT A FEW MUT BEFORE TMP TOOK THE STAGE, CLARG, “I AM PROUD TO BE GAY.”“WE ARE TOLD THAT THE GREAT BATE IS ABOUT WHO GETS TO E WHICH BATHROOM,” THIEL SAID, REFERENCG A NTROVERSY OVER NEW ANTI-TRANSGENR LAWS BREWG NSERVATIVE STAT.“THIS IS A DISTRACTN OM OUR REAL PROBLEMS,” HE SAID. “WHO R?” ROGER SOLLENBERGER

ROMNEY'S VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE: ALSO EVOLVG?

He's challenged Vice Print Mike Pence's anti-LGBTQ posns and, if elected, he would be the natn's first openly gay his mpaign, Buttigieg has vowed to pass the Equaly Act, reverse the Tmp admistratn's ban on transgenr people servg the ary, and enforce the Affordable Care Act's non-discrimatn provisns to protect LGBTQ patients.

" When Buttigieg was heckled by anti-gay protters earlier this year, the former Maryland ngrsman spoke out about the cint, urgg people to "stand together" and "nmn disgtg attacks on our iends the LGBTQ muny" a statement on part of his 2020 mpaign, Delaney has vowed to support the Equaly Act, the Stunt Non-Discrimatn Act, and the Votg Rights Advancement Act. As a state reprentative Hawaii, Gabbard once ttified agast a marriage equaly bill and referred to gay people as "homosexual extremists, " acrdg to HuffPost. "In a statement released May, Gravel also claimed he was "the first major Democrat to endorse gay marriage as a civil right.

Acrdg to GLAAD, Inslee also publicly nmned the Boy Suts of Ameri 2014 for revokg an openly gay sutmaster's tle and troop charter. Bernie Sanrs has a lengthy rerd of LGBTQ advocy, havg advoted for the abolishment of anti-gay laws sce the 1970s.

FACTBOX: PRINTIAL NDIDAT' VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE

In his reer as a lawmaker, he's signed a Gay Pri Day proclamatn, opposed "don't ask, don't tell, " supported legislative efforts to legalize same-sex marriage Vermont, and passed an anti-discrimatn hog ordance, acrdg to Splter News. "I was way out there by myself on gay and lbian rights, startg my first month office, January 1991.

BLAKE MASTERS’ VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE MAY SURPRISE HIS POLIL MASTER PETER THIELMASTER AND COMMANDERTHE TECH BILLNAIRE HAS BEEN MAKG MAJOR NTRIBUTNS TO HIS FORMER EMPLOYEE FOR HIS U.S. SENATE BID. HE MIGHT BE SURPRISED BY MASTERS’ VIEW ON THIEL’S OWN WEDDG.ROGER SOLLENBERGERSENR POLIL REPORTERUPDATED JUN. 27, 2022 6:02AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 27, 2022 4:18AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THOMAS LEVSON/THE DAILY BEAST/GETTY/ALAMYREPUBLIN SENATORIAL NDIDATE BLAKE MASTERS ENJOYS THE FANCIAL AND POLIL SUPPORT OF HIS LONGTIME IEND, MENTOR, AND BILLNAIRE BS PARTNER PETER THIEL, WHO IS GAY. BUT MASTERS, WHO ATTEND THIEL’S WEDDG, ALSO APPARENTLY BELIEV THIEL’S MARRIAGE SHOULD BE ILLEGAL.“IT’S NOT JT DISNEY, YOU KNOW—‘FOLLOW YOUR HEART,’” MASTERS SAID AT A MPAIGN EVENT EARLIER THIS YEAR. “IT HAS A POT.”THAT “POT,” HE SAID, IS MAKG CHILDREN. AND SCE THERE’S NO PROCREATN WH SAME-SEX MARRIAG, MASTERS REASONED, THOSE UNNS DON’T HAVE A POT—AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE BANNED. MASTERS, 34, SHARED THIS PERSPECTIVE FEBARY WH AN DIENCE AT A REPUBLIN WOMEN’S CLUB EVENT SAN TAN VALLEY, ARIZONA, WHERE HE’S NNG FOR SENATE. THE 2015 SUPREME COURT CISN THAT LEGALIZED GAY MARRIAGE, HE TOLD THIS GROUP, AMOUNTED TO “SQUTG AND MAKG UP SO-LLED RIGHTS THE CONSTUTN.” “THE SUPREME COURT SHOULD NOT BE CIDG GAY MARRIAGE. IF THIS UNTRY WANTED TO LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE OR REGNIZE , WHAT YOU WOULD DO IS YOU WOULD HAVE A CONSTUTNAL AMENDMENT. IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE HARD. IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE HARD FOR A REASON,” HE SAID. “FRANKLY, THE SUPREME COURT JT SQUTG AND MAKG UP SO-LLED RIGHTS THE CONSTUTN—THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY THAT WAS FOR ABORTN, THE RIGHT TO GAY MARRIAGE—I DISAGREE WH THAT.”MASTERS THEN PIVOTED TO THIEL’S WEDDG FOR A REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE, SAYG “I WISH HIM WELL,” WHILE THE NEXT BREATH CLARG THAT THIEL’S MARRIAGE SHOULD BE AGAST THE LAW.“MY, YOU KNOW, FORMER BOSS AND MENTOR PETER THIEL IS GAY. I WENT TO HIS WEDDG LIKE, YOU KNOW, I’M— WAS GREAT, I WISH HIM WELL. I DON’T THK THE SUPREME COURT SHOULD HAVE CID THAT SE THAT WAY,” MASTERS SAID. HE ADD THAT WHILE HE DON’T THK GAY MARRIAGE IS “THE LIVE ISSUE RIGHT NOW,” HE BELIEV “MARRIAGE IS BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN.”ALTHOUGH SAME-SEX MARRIAGE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN A “LIVE ISSUE” AT THE TIME OF THAT EVENT, CERTALY GREW TO ONE THREE MONTHS LATER, WHEN THE PUBLIC GOT A PREVIEW OF WHAT LAST WEEK BEME THE MOMENTO SUPREME COURT CISN OVERTURNG ROE V. WA. THAT NTROVERSIAL LG HUNG ON A DUE PROCS ISSUE, AND THE URT ULTIMATELY KICKED THE CISN BACK TO THE DIVIDUAL STAT. BUT ROE ISN’T THE ONLY PRECENT TABLISHED ON THOSE GROUNDS; OTHER MAJOR CISNS SHARE A SIAR LEGAL STCTURE, CLUDG OBERGEFELL V. HODG, THE SE THAT SECURED THE RIGHT FOR GAY PEOPLE TO GET MARRIED.THE IMPLITNS WERE NOT LOST ON THE URT. THE URT’S THREE LIBERAL JTIC—ELENA KAGAN, STEPHEN BREYER, AND SONIA SOTOMAYOR—RAISED A WARNG THEIR DISSENT THAT OBERGEFELL ULD BE NEXT, ALONG WH PROTECTNS FOR NTRACEPTIV AND SEXUAL ACTIVY GENERALLY.WHILE THE MAJORY OF THE SCOTUS NSERVATIV PARRIED THOSE NCERNS, JTICE CLARENCE THOMAS STATED PLALY HIS OPN THAT THE COURT “SHOULD RENSIR” ALL SIAR DUE PROCS PRECENTS, LLG OBERGEFELL OUT BY NAME.MASTERS ALSO LLED THE SE OUT BY NAME, SAYG THAT WHILE HE HAD “A LOT OF PROBLEMS” WH CHIEF JTICE JOHN ROBERTS, HE ALIGNED WH ROBERTS’ “PRETTY GOOD DISSENT.”THAT’S BEE MARRIAGE, MASTERS SAID, “HAS A POT.”“MARRIAGE IS AN STUTN THAT GO BACK THOANDS OF YEARS, AND HAS A POT. THE POT IS PROCREATN AND CREATG CHILDREN,” MASTERS SAID.THIEL’S MARRIAGE, MASTERS’ VIEW, WOULD SEEM TO HAVE NO POT.IT’S UNCLEAR HOW THIS SQUAR WH THE “GREAT” WEDDG MASTERS ATTEND BETWEEN THIEL AND HIS NOW HBAND, MATT DANZEISEN. THIEL, PAYPAL -FOUNR AND AN EARLY FACEBOOK VTOR, GOT HCHED AFTER OBERGEFELL, THOUGH THE LONGTIME UPLE DIDN’T HOLD THE CEREMONY THE UNED STAT. THEY STEAD VED GUTS TO VIENNA, ATRIA, UNR THE AEGIS OF THE VENTURE PALIST’S 50TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATN, AND SURPRISED THEM WH THE WEDDG. (LOTN DID NOT MATTER; THERE WAS NO OVERSEAS LOOPHOLE WHEN ME TO THE FERAL RIGHTS EXTEND OBERGEFELL.)AT THE TIME, MASTERS WAS CFO OF THIEL CAPAL MANAGEMENT, MAKG HIM A LLEAGUE NOT JT OF THIEL, BUT ALSO OF DANZEISEN, WHO WORKED THERE AS A PORTFOL MANAGER. THIEL HAD TAKEN MASTERS UNR HIS WG A AGO, AND LAST YEAR POURED $10 LN TO BACKG THE NDIDACY OF HIS PROTEGE—WHO EQUENTLY PLUGGED HIS THEN BOSS’ TECHNOLOGY ON THE MPAIGN TRAIL.MASTERS EVENTUALLY RIGNED OM THIEL CAPAL THIS SPRG AMID ETHIL NCERNS. HE SRED FORMER PRINT DONALD TMP’S ENDORSEMENT EARLIER THIS MONTH.BUT EVEN WH TMP OUT OF OFFICE, LGBTQ RIGHTS ARE UNR ATTACK OM NSERVATIV ACROSS THE UNTRY. WH DEMOCRATS NTROLLG THE FERAL LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE BRANCH, THE ACTN HAS BEEN NFED AT THE STATE LEVEL—SOMETHG MASTERS WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE.SO FAR THIS YEAR, MORE THAN 250 ANTI-LGBTQ BILLS HAVE BEEN PUT FORWARD 37 STAT, ACRDG TO THE LEGISLATN TRACKER KEPT BY FREEDOM FOR ALL AMERINS AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN.ANTI-TRANSGENR EXTREMISM HAS LATED TO THE POT WHERE PARENTS OF TRANSGENR CHILDREN FEAR FOR THEIR SAFETY, AND THE RURGENCE OF ARCHAIC HOMOPHOBIC RHETORIC AROUND “GROOMERS” AND PEDOPHIL—FUELED BY REPUBLIN LEARS AND NSERVATIVE MEDIA—HAS STIRRED ANXIETY THE LGBTQ MUNY ABOUT LOOMG POLILLY MOTIVATED VLENCE. DAYS BEFORE THE ROE CISN WAS RELEASED, THE TEXAS REPUBLIN PARTY ROLLED OUT A RADILLY NSERVATIVE POLIL PLATFORM, NOUNCG GAY MARRIAGE AS VLATG THE “NATURAL ORR” AND VOWG TO “PROTECT” MORS OM THE “PREDATORY” DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR.IN NOVEMBER, GOP LEARS TORCHED REPUBLIN NATNAL COMMTEE CHAIR RONNA ROMNEY MCDANIEL FOR EXPRSG SUPPORT FOR GAY REPUBLINS AT A MAR-A-LAGO GALA—EVEN LLG FOR HER RIGNATN.CRICS SAY THAT THE VELOPMENTS, LIKE MASTERS’ MENTS, SHOW THAT THE REPUBLIN PARTY IS WDG BACK THE CLOCK. HOWEVER, WHEN TO GAY MARRIAGE, THE GOP’S CLOCK HAS BEEN STUCK 2016, WHEN THE OFFICIAL PARTY PLATFORM FED “NATURAL MARRIAGE” AS BETWEEN “A MAN AND A WOMAN.”BEE THE GOP CLED TO WRE A NEW PLATFORM 2020, THE CURRENT PLATFORM, WHICH WILL RRY THROUGH AT LEAST THE 2024 ELECTN, IS INTIL TO THE ONE OM 2016—THE YEAR AFTER OBERGEFELL.THE LIBERTARIAN THIEL ACTUALLY SPOKE AT THE 2016 NVENTN JT A FEW MUT BEFORE TMP TOOK THE STAGE, CLARG, “I AM PROUD TO BE GAY.”“WE ARE TOLD THAT THE GREAT BATE IS ABOUT WHO GETS TO E WHICH BATHROOM,” THIEL SAID, REFERENCG A NTROVERSY OVER NEW ANTI-TRANSGENR LAWS BREWG NSERVATIVE STAT.“THIS IS A DISTRACTN OM OUR REAL PROBLEMS,” HE SAID. “WHO R?” ROGER SOLLENBERGER

While servg as the ernor of Massachetts, Weld tablished the Governor's Commissn on Gay and Lbian Youth and appoted Margaret H.