Rand Paul: I Do Not ‘Believe’ In The Idea Of ‘Gay Rights’ (Video)

In a casual interaction with reporters, U.S. Senator Rand Paul says he does not believe in the concept of gay rights. Watch.

BuzzFeed found a video from May of 2013, and posted it today.

It’s a very telling example that once again, Rand Paul is not a libertarian, despite what libertarians claim. 

In the video, Senator Paul (R-KY) is standing with a few reporters, and apparently he is asked about civil rights for LGBT people. 

In the opening of the video, Sen. Paul says he doesn’t believe in “judging” people based on their behavior – an odd comment since our entire judicial system exists to do just that. He continues, “I don’t think I’ve ever used the word ‘gay rights,’ because I don’t really believe in rights based on your behavior,” he again tells the reporters. 

Behavior?

You know who else believes the there no such thing as gay people, only gay “behavior”?

Anti-gay hate groups.

Senator Paul, a licensed physician (granted, ophthalmologist, but still one with a full medical degree) should know better, since every major medical organization has long recognized that homosexuality is not a “behavior,” but an innate trait, like being left-handed, blonde, or tall.

Buzzfeed’s Dominic Holden notes that “it’s unclear how far — and to whom — Paul extends the argument that rights cannot be defined by behavior.”

Practicing religion, for example, is a behavior enshrined as a primary American right. Free speech is behavior protected by the Bill of Rights. Likewise, a person’s right to be free from discrimination for his or her nation of origin — which entails the behavior of moving from one country to the United States — is embedded in America’s civil rights laws and broader code of values.

Does Paul believe those behaviors are protected rights?

Eleanor May, a spokesperson for Paul’s 2016 re-election campaign to the U.S. Senate, said the rights that count are those in the country’s founding charter. “What he is saying in this video is that he does not classify rights based on behavior, but rather recognizes rights for all, as our Constitution defines it,” May told BuzzFeed News.

 

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license