Rubio Asks Conservative Christians to Love and Accept LGBT Community

By Gary Nguyen --
16 Aug 2016 --

Marco Rubio asks evangelical leaders not to judge the LGBT, but some are saying he’s being a hypocrite.

LGBT activists across America lashed out at Republican Senator Marco Rubio for his remarks against gay rights at a speech addressing around 700 evangelical pastors at a conference last Friday. The Catholic senator already has a negative reputation with the LGBT community and gay rights supporters as traditionally being against same-sex marriage. This time, his remarks gave a confused and mixed message to the gathering, but have earned him the title of “hypocrite” by the LGBT community anyway.

Rubio Asks Conservative Christians to Love and Accept LGBT Community[/tweetthis]

Senator Rubio and Republican nominee Donald Trump attended a conference, “Rediscovering God in America Renewal Project”, held by conservative religious leaders at Orlando on Friday. During his speech, the Senator reaffirmed his belief that marriage is an institution that is strictly between “a man and woman.” However, he also challenged the gathering to “love and accept” the LGBT community rather than judge them, thereby truly living according to the path laid by Christ. He urged the pastors to spend time in loving the LGBT members rather than judge them for behavior that are not in accordance with their religious beliefs.

"In order to love people, you have to listen to them." @marcorubio asks evangelicals not to judge LGBT community https://t.co/Kbr9RB8ETS
— Patricia Mazzei (@PatriciaMazzei) August 12, 2016

Rubio seemed to encourage support for the LGBT members with his views that religious people should be listened to. He empathized with gay people that just as the religious have their reasons to reject gay rights, so also the gay people have their reasons to want their rights. He added that there are members in the LGBT community who have true love for each other, and society's rejection of them frustrates and upsets them. He reminded the gathering that as Christians, it is their duty to reach out to the gay community and make them feel accepted. This, he insisted, does not go against the Bible but actually resonated with Christ's teachings.

The senator, however, took a drastically different stand when he said that he still believes marriage is a union strictly between a man and woman. He clarified that acceptance of gay people does not mean acceptance of their behavior, which according to him, is in fact against natural and scriptural laws. Rubio defended the rights of conservative Americans to oppose gay rights, just as others have a right to support the issue.

Citing his remarks on the Orlando shooting, Equality Florida condemned his speech as a political rhetoric aimed at firing up hatred of Muslims, while trying to deflect the accusations that he is insensitive to the cause of the gay community. Whatever the senator may have said in support of the gay community however, the LGBTs still view him as a threat and an enemy due to the conservative stand he has traditionally taken against their cause.