Rand Paul Slammed For Telling LGBT Workers To Stay In The Closet To Avoid Being Fired

Rand Paul’s remarks about nondiscrimination laws and LGBT workers drew outrage from an LGBT organization and equality supporters on social media.

Speaking at Drake University in Iowa Tuesday afternoon, Senator Rand Paul told students gay people should stay in the closet if they would like to avoid being fired. His comments drew immediate fire, including from the Human Rights Campaign.

NCRM was the first news site to report on Paul’s remarks: Rand Paul Says It’s OK To Fire LGBT People Because ‘Plenty Of Places’ Will Hire Them (Video).

“I think society is rapidly changing and that if you are gay, there are plenty of places that will hire you,” Sen. Paul said, suggesting that LGBT should stay closeted at work. “I think, really, the things you do in your house, just leave those in your house and they wouldn’t have to be a part of the workplace, to tell you the truth.”

Senator Paul claimed his position is a result of concern that LGBT people would just sue, claiming discrimination, whenever they get fired.

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Watch: Rand Paul Scrambles To Fix His Claim That Gay Workers Should Stay Closeted

“So what happens is it sets up a whole industry of people who want to sue,” Sen. Paul said. “So if you happen to be gay, you get fired—now you have a reason you can fire them. But it’s almost impossible sometimes—you know, people don’t put up a sign, ‘I’m firing you because you’re gay.’ It’s something that’s very much disputed. And so I don’t know that we need to keep adding to different classifications to say the government needs to be involved in the hiring and firing.”

The Human Rights Campaign issued an immediate response.

“Rand Paul appears to be living in a different era. People should not be required to live in the closet or hide who they are in order to be treated equally and fairly under the law,” JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs said in a statement. “Rand Paul is going to find very little support for his views among the nine out of ten Americans who have an LGBT person in their lives. But Rand Paul’s comments do beg the question of whether his fellow candidates will call him out for embracing a platform of discrimination.”

HRC also noted that Sen. Paul, who is a GOP presidential candidate, is not a supporter of the Equality Act, and voted against ENDA.

Reactions on Twitter were swift:

 

Image by Rand Paul via Twitter