WATCH: Karen Handel Cites Her Faith to Tell Mom of LGBTQ Child She’s Against Gay People Adopting, Having Families

‘My Faith Calls Me to a Different Place on the Issue’ of Letting Gay People Be Parents

Karen Handel says she is opposed to LGBTQ people being able to adopt children and start families because of her “faith.” The Republican nominee is facing Democrat Jon Ossoff in Georgia’s June 20 special election to fill the seat held by former Rep. Tom Price, now President Donald Trump’s HHS Secretary.

On Thursday Handel sat down with locals at Wright’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop, as the Georgia Voice explains, where one woman told her that while she personally leans conservative, she has an LGBTQ daughter and fears what will happen when she wants to adopt children or start a family.

As you watch this video, note how quick Handel is to cut the woman off when the conversation moves to civil rights and equality for LGBTQ people. Handel politely nods as the mother begins to talk about wanting to support her child, asking the Republican candidate, “what protections do I have for her having a family in the future, wanting to adopt a kid?”

“Sure. Sure,” Handel says, interrupting.

“I have to be honest,” Handel says, bringing her hand to her heart. “My faith calls me to a different place on the issue.”

Handel, who once served as Georgia’s Secretary of State and unsuccessfully ran for governor, adds that her faith calls her to be “compassionate,” as if LGBTQ people need pity. “So, I always try to do that,” she says, as if it’s a challenge.

“I don’t,” she continues, “I’m not aware of anything in the law, right now, that I’m aware of, that’s going to be impactful, from a discriminatory standpoint, against your daughter,” Handel said.

MSNBC earlier Friday reported that about 150 anti-LGBT bills have been filed across the nation at the state level. Just yesterday Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law legislation that allows adoption and foster care agencies to cite their religious beliefs, as Handel just did, to bar same-sex couples and LGBT people from adopting. And right now in the state of Georgia, for which Handel wants to be a Member of Congress, a bill is in the legislature that would do the exact same thing. But she is “not aware of anything in the law, right now … that’s going to be impactful, from a discriminatory standpoint,” against LGBT people.

Handel, almost appearing frustrated, went on to tell the mother, “the issue’s been decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, so…”

The mother, speaking about Vice President Mike Pence, responds by saying, “I’m worried he’s going to try and make changes –”

Using her hands to chop on the table, Handel repeats herself in a staccato fashion, says: “It’s the U.S. Supreme Court!”

And then outstretching her arms, as if the mom just isn’t understanding her, Handel says, “so, so,” as she grabs the arms of her chair, gets up, and leaves.

The mother is still talking. Handel responds: “I hear ya.”

No, no she did not. Nor did she care to.

The Georgia Voice notes Handel had nearly the exact same response the same day at Wright’s Sandwich Shop, telling longtime Georgia journalist Dyana Bagby of Reporters’ Newspapers, her “faith” calls her “to a very different place on these issues.”

“My faith at the same time calls me to be compassionate and what I have always believed is that what has to be paramount is what is the best interest of the child,” she said.

Asked to explain further, she said, “The best interest of the child. Period, end of paragraph. That’s not for you to decide. That’s not for me to decide. It’s for the child advocates to decide, whether that be the court or the child’s guardian. The child’s best interest must be paramount.”

Handel is known nationwide as the high-powered Komen for the Cure executive who almost single-handedly destroyed the reputation of the once highly-respected breast cancer non-profit when she moved to defund the group’s support of Planned Parenthood. She has told supporters she wants America to become a nation where “the very idea of an abortion is unthinkable.” 

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