2020 Democrats discuss LGBTQ issues during CNN's Equality Town Hall
Nine 2020 Democratic candidates attended CNN's Equality Town Hall Thursday evening in Los Angeles, and fielded questions on everything from AIDS to preventing hate crimes to faith.
South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is gay, and said that "religious liberty is an important principle in this country and we honor that. It's the case that any freedom that we honor in this country has limits when it comes to harming other people." Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) said religious institutions should not receive tax-exempt status if they are against same-sex marriage, and conversion therapy should be illegal as it's "tantamount to torture."
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) revealed he "absolutely" believes the Food and Drug Administration ban on blood donations from certain gay men should be lifted, and former Vice President Joe Biden said he would ensure the Equality Act is passed to give anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ people. Billionaire activist Tom Steyer shared that he was shocked when he learned that half of all transgender youth attempt suicide, and he vowed to take action against this "dire situation."
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) got the biggest laugh of the night, when she was asked what she would say to someone who told her marriage is between a man and a woman. "Well, I'm going to assume it's a guy who said that, and I'm gonna say, 'Then just marry one woman,'" she said. "'I'm cool with that. If you can find one.'" Read more about what all the candidates had to say at CNN.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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