Bloomberg Government: “Calvert declined to be interviewed and instead issued a statement that he opposed funding the LGBTQ centers because of… communism”
Rep. Ken Calvert‘s California district was redrawn at the beginning of the decade to include Palm Springs, a desert oasis that’s a magnet for celebrities, golf players, retirees — and a large gay community.
The addition of the liberal resort has become a political headache these days for the conservative Republican lawmaker whose party is increasingly targeting transgender and gay rights.
This summer Calvert joined other GOP appropriators in rejecting funding for three LGBTQ centers that had been tucked into annual spending bills and adding a provision that would protect people with a “sincerely held religious belief” opposing same-sex marriage.
“In Palm Springs, I don’t understand how he thinks he can win re-election by telling tens of thousands of us that we don’t deserve to eat when we get older,” said Will Rollins, an openly gay Democrat who is seeking a rematch for Calvert’s seat.
Rollins was referring to Republicans’ move in the Appropriations Committee to strip earmarks from the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development spendings bill (H.R. 4820) for LGBTQ community centers in Boston, Philadelphia, and Reading, Pa. Other appropriations riders would restrict gender-affirming care for minors and protect individuals who oppose same-sex marriage.
Calvert declined to be interviewed and instead issued a statement that he opposed funding the LGBTQ centers because of “political activism” related to communism, a lack of age limits for gender-affirming care, and inappropriate material for children.
“I believe most of my constituents, regardless of sexual orientation, do not believe that US taxpayer dollars should be used on activities that undermine the foundations of our country,” he said in the statement. “I do not condone discrimination of any kind and I will always vote my conscience.”
Almost half of Republicans supported legal same-sex marriage, a recent Gallup poll showed. Support is higher among unaffiliated voters, who often decide elections in swing districts: 78% of the independents polled favoring same-sex marriage.
