Georgia Rep Reiterates Opposition To Gay Marriage, But Won’t Touch State Chair’s Comments

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

In response to a peculiar conspiracy theory floated by a top Georgia Republican, a spokeswoman for Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) told TPM on Monday that the conservative congressman remains a staunch opponent to same-sex marriage. 

“As a Christian, Phil believes marriage is a holy sacrament between one man and one woman created by God,” Gingrey’s spokeswoman Jennnifer Talaber said in an email. “As such, he’s co-sponsored and voted for a federal marriage amendment to the Constitution to protect the holy sacrament of marriage 13 times while serving in Congress.”

But it’s still unclear if Gingrey, a 2014 U.S. Senate hopeful, agrees with Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart’s warning that straight people may enter sham gay marriages in order to collect tax benefits.

“You may be as straight as an arrow, and you may have a friend that is as straight as an arrow,” Everhart said. “Say you had a great job with the government where you had this wonderful health plan. I mean, what would prohibit you from saying that you’re gay, and y’all get married and still live as separate, but you get all the benefits? I just see so much abuse in this it’s unreal. I believe a husband and a wife should be a man and a woman, the benefits should be for a man and a woman. There is no way that this is about equality. To me, it’s all about a free ride.” 

 

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: