Marco Rubio Just Voted Against Protecting LGBT Homeless Youth In A Sex Trafficking Bill

Republican Presidential candidate Marco Rubio just cast a vote against LGBT homeless youth that was anything but presidential, fatherly, compassionate, or even humane.

As much of the nation knows, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been holding hostage a vote to confirm Loretta Lynch as the next attorney general of the United States. The Senate Majority Leader’s bargaining chip for the past six months has been an important anti-human trafficking bill that had bipartisan support, until Republicans snuck anti-abortion language into the legislation.

Minutes ago, the anti-trafficking bill passed, 99-0, but not before the Senate voted on several amendments to the bill.

One bipartisan amendment, introduced by Democratic Senator Pat Leahy and Republican Senator Susan Collins would have added language banning discrimination against LGBT homeless youth.

“A recent study found that 1 in 4 homeless youth have been victims of sex trafficking, or traded sex for survival needs, such as food or a place to sleep,” Sen. Leahy said in a statement before today’s vote. “The study also found that 50 percent of homeless youth had been solicited for sex by an adult within 48 hours of leaving home. Let me say that again: half of these homeless kids were solicited for sex by an adult within the first two days of leaving home.  These kids – some as young as 12, 13, 14 years old – have nowhere to go, but we can work to make sure they have a safe place to go. That is what our amendment does.”

Leahy added that the language in his amendment “would prevent discrimination against youth based on their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability,” and “is nearly identical to a provision contained in the bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 which passed the Senate with 78 votes and was signed into law.”

Earlier this afternoon, the Senate voted down the Leahy-Collins Amendment to protect runaway homeless youth, SA 290, by a narrow margin: 56-43. 60 votes were needed for it to pass. It needed just four more.

Among those voting for the amendment that would have protected homeless youth and LGBT homeless youth were 44 Democrats – no Democrat voted against the amendment – along with both Independent Senators, Bernie Sanders and Angus King, and ten Republicans including GOP presidential candidate Rand Paul, whose anti-LGBT views are well documented.

Voting against the amendment were 43 Republican Senators, including U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, whose anti-LGBT views are also well-documented:

LOOK: Marco Rubio’s Top 10 Anti-Gay Statements

(A full list of how each Senator voted on the Leahy Amendment is here.)

Apparently, Sen. Rubio would attend the wedding of a gay colleague or family member, but he wouldn’t vote to save and protect an LGBT homeless child.

It’s well-known that between 25 percent and 40 percent of homeless children are LGBT, despite the fact that LGBT children are less than five percent of the nation’s population.

“All life is worthy of protection, and all life enjoys God’s love,” Rubio claims on his presidential campaign website. “I have a record of supporting pro-life policies, and will continue to do so in public and private life.” He adds, “I believe that as a nation we must always come down on the side of life. We must speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.” 

Really?

Who is speaking for LGBT homeless youth?

Today, Reuters ran a story with the grossly misleading headline, grossly misleading title, “Presidential hopeful Rubio reaches out to gay Republicans.” As NCRM reported earlier today, that “reaches out” includes only a comment from the Log Cabin Republicans that they have had meetings with Rubio’s staff – not with Sen. Rubio himself. And Rubio’s office would not even admit that the meetings did – or did not – take place.

If this is LGBT outreach, Marco Rubio style, it’s perfectly in keeping with the GOP’s minority outreach efforts.

Oh, and by the way, that Facebook photo at the top of the page of a young Marco Rubio?

When you’re a child with a family who supports you and takes care of your needs, you can dream about playing in the Super Bowl. When you’re a homeless LGBT child or teen, you tend to dream about having a family who supports and protects you and takes care of your needs. 

The absolute very least we can do is vote to help protect them. It truly is the very least we can do.

 

This post has been updated. 

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license