'I'm Not Going to Hurt Them': Rubio Would Attend a Gay Wedding

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said his personal opposition to same-sex marriage wouldn’t stop him from attending a gay wedding.

Rubio told Jorge Ramos, a host for Univision and Fusion, “if it’s somebody in my life that I care for” who was walking down the aisle, “of course I would” attend.

“I’m not going to hurt them simply because I disagree with a choice they’ve made or because I disagree with a decision they’ve made, or whatever it may be,” he added. “Ultimately, if someone that you care for and is part of your family has decided to move in one direction or another or feels that way because of who they love, you respect that because you love them.”

Rubio compared the dilemma to the Catholic Church’s prohibition on divorce and remarriage without an annulment.

“I’m a member of the Catholic faith that teaches, for example, that divorce is wrong,” Rubio said. “But if someone gets divorced, I’m not going to stop loving them or having them a part of our lives.”

On Tuesday, Rubio was asked on CNN about a Pew poll showing 61 percent of Republican voters under the age of 30 support same-sex marriage.

“That is an issue that will largely be determined at the state level, since marriage laws have always been defined by the states,” the senator said. “I’m — not, for example, ever supported a federal constitutional amendment to define marriage because I believe states define marriage in their laws. And if in fact people feel that way, as that poll says, then they can petition a state legislature to change the law.”

“But the second point I would make is, I don’t — I think there’s still a significant number of Americans that believe that the definition of marriage should be that of one man and one woman, as it has been for thousands of years… They’re a large minority. In essence, there are still parts of this country that believe that way,” Rubio continued.

“But irrespective of it, we’re in a republic. If you want to change the marriage laws of your state, go to your state legislature and get your legislators to change it. I don’t believe the court system is the appropriate way to do it. And I don’t believe Washington and the Supreme Court is the appropriate way to do that.”