John Reed, the gay Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Virginia, has defended the right of his running mate, current lieutenant governor Winsome Earl Sears, to oppose same-sex marriage, even though he personally disagrees with her on the issue.
Speech on conservative talk radio show Willco majority Reed said on SiriusXM that he and Earl Sears “will put aside their differences” to support the policies they believe are best for Virginia. Host Andrew Wilkow then asked Reed to name an issue on which the two men disagreed.
“She’s not for same-sex marriage. She’s 100 percent against it,” Reid said. “You know, she’s from Jamaica, and her religious background tells her a very different story than my background, which is white, Episcopalian, Virginia. I get it!”
He added: “At some point we’re going to have to talk about this.”
Reed, who has said he personally supports same-sex marriage, told the Richmond-based newspaper. virginia mercury In June, he said if elected and asked to break the balance in the Virginia Senate, he would vote against a bill authorizing a referendum to allow same-sex couples to marry.
He argued that the amendment “does not protect people who wholeheartedly disagree with same-sex marriage.”
Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban (known as the Marshall-Newman Amendment) became moot in 2014 when a federal judge struck it down as discriminatory and unconstitutional, a decision that was later upheld by both the Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015. Still, as long as the amendment remains on the record, the ban could go back into effect if the Supreme Court overturns the marriage equality ruling.
Earl Sears has been vocal in his opposition to LGBTQ rights. Her campaign focuses on Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger and focuses on issues such as transgender athletes and bathroom access in schools. She has also long opposed same-sex marriage, same-sex adoption, and nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ workers, including state employees.
as richmond free press It was reported last month that a 2004 candidate survey for Earle Sears’ unsuccessful run for Congress showed she answered “yes” when asked if she would vote to prevent same-sex couples from adopting children and oppose workplace protections for gay people. She also agreed with statements claiming that homosexuality is an “immoral lifestyle choice.”
Reid, who was previously accused of reposting sexually explicit images on his Tumblr account that matched his private Instagram handle, has remained a staunch defender of Earl Sears, even after briefly distancing himself over the controversy when Gov. Glenn Youngkin urged him to withdraw from the race.
According to the investigation, Reid denies any connection to the Tumblr account, which Democrats say contained Nazi-themed pornography and violent sexual content. american journal news.
The candidate supports banning transgender athletes from women’s sports teams and restricting them from accessing restrooms, locker rooms and locker rooms that match the gender assigned to them at birth. He also opposes giving minors access to gender-affirming care, but his campaign says transgender adults “should live their lives as they see fit, but not when they impose limits or obligations on others or when their actions sexualize or groom children.” Website.
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Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
