The Governor on Gay Marriage

By Nathan Worcester
Nathan Worcester
Nathan Worcester
Senior Reporter
Nathan Worcester is an award-winning journalist for The Epoch Times based in Washington, D.C. He frequently covers Capitol Hill, elections, and the ideas that shape our times. He has also written about energy and the environment. Nathan can be reached at nathan.worcester@epochtimes.us
January 4, 2024Updated: January 4, 2024

CNN Host Caitlin Collins asked Gov. Ron DeSantis about gay marriage, noting that another candidate, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, has expressed regret about previously opposing gay marriage.

The Florida governor treaded carefully, saying that the traditional definition of marriage “is just what marriage is with the church,” before adding that he “respect[s] the Supreme Court’s decision,” Obergefell v. Hodges.

“We’ve abided by that in Florida even though our constitution defines it as between a man and a woman,” he continued, before stressing an angle often used by post-Obergefell social conservatives now forced into a corner on a polarizing issue: religious liberty.

“I’m going to protect those religious institutions to be able to do what has always been done in terms of how they consider marriage as a sacrament,” he said.