IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Statement From Jeb Fain, DCCC Spokesman: “Congressman Scott Garrett is making quite a name for himself in Washington as one of the most extreme, anti-LGBT, pro-discrimination Members of Congress. Earlier this week, Garrett’s support for a discriminatory, anti-LGBT bill got him scathing press in New Jersey — with the Newark Star-Ledger Editorial Board calling his bill “an abomination” and saying that Garrett and fellow co-sponsor Chris Smith “will go down kicking and screaming, tarnishing their legacies forever.” Today we’ve learned that Garrett is expanding his discrimination to the halls of Congress by actively trying to prevent LBGT candidates from being able to get elected to office. This is absolutely unacceptable and voters are not soon to forget.”
ICYMI – Scott Garrett Under Fire for Extreme, Discriminatory Views
Newark Star-Ledger: 2 N.J. lawmakers back denying services to gay couples on religious grounds
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, more than 100 U.S. House Republicans — including New Jersey Reps. Chris Smith and Scott Garrett — are sponsoring legislation enabling groups and individuals to deny service to gay couples on the basis of their religious beliefs.
Newark Star-Ledger: Smith and Garrett press right to discriminate against gays | Editorial
Smith and Garrett, with this bill, offer a bracing reminder of how important it is to fill that gap and provide federal protection for homosexuals. Given the almost miraculous momentum for gay rights over the last decade, that change seems inevitable.
After all, it makes no moral sense to respect the right of gays to marry, while allowing landlords or employers to target them on the basis of sexual preference.
“There are 32 states where you can get married in the morning and get fired in the afternoon,” Vice President Joseph Biden said last week.
No doubt, the die-hards like Smith and Garrett will go down kicking and screaming, tarnishing their legacies forever.
For now, we have one question for them: Why is bigotry against gays somehow more acceptable than bigotry against blacks? Would they say the bigoted Woolworth’s owner should be able to deny service to black patrons, so long as his attitude is based on religious convictions?
This bill is an abomination. It should not only be rejected, it should be answered aggressively with a new push to offer a federal prohibition against discrimination based on sexual preference.
Politico: GOP lawmaker: No cash for campaign arm because it backs gays
Garrett first responded that his procedural vote against leadership was a matter of conscience. Then he stunned the room with this explanation: He had not supported the NRCC in the past, he said, because it actively recruited gay candidates and supported homosexuals in primaries.
Bergen County Record: Report: Garrett won’t contribute to campaign arm that supports gays
Rep. Scott Garrett told colleagues at a private House committee leadership meeting last week that he would not contribute to the political arm of the Republican caucus because it recruits and supports gay candidates, according to a report published Thursday by Politico.