Marco Rubio Shockingly Preaches LGBT Tolerance At Florida Rally

"Do not judge, or you will be judged."

From: NewNowNext

Marco Rubio made more than a few stunning remarks in favor of increased intolerance for the LGBT community Friday at a rally in Florida, which was roundly protested by LGBT activists earlier this week.

According to the New York Times, the former 2016 Republican presidential candidate appears to be softening up on LGBT rights, perhaps because he realizes now that his anti-LGBT views contributed to his failures during primary season.

Jeremy W. Petersaug reports:

Using the shorthand “L.G.B.T.” several times, Mr. Rubio told the group that the perception that many Christians are anti-gay is harming their faith. He urged them to resist passing judgment on gays.

“Do not judge, or you will be judged,” he said, echoing a verse from the Bible.

“To love our neighbors we must recognize that many have experienced sometimes severe condemnation and judgment from some Christians,” he said. “They have heard some say that the reason God will bring condemnation on America is because of them — as if somehow God was willing to put up with adultery and gluttony and greed and pride, but now this is the last straw.”

Though Rubio asserted he still believes marriage is a bond between one and one woman, he recognized that American history “has been marred by discrimination against and rejection of gays and lesbians,” and gave examples that included “hiring practices by the federal government, raids of gay establishments by the police and the proliferation of anti-gay slurs.”

Rubio has a vehemently anti-gay voting history and, on occasion, has described transgender people and same-sex adoption as “social experiments.”

In contrast, he was one of only a few conservative politicians who acknowledged the horrific shooting at Pulse nightclub was a targeted attack on the LGBT community.

“If in fact this terrorist attack is one inspired by radical Islamic ideology, it is quite frankly not surprising that they would target this community in this horrifying way,” he told reporters the day after the tragedy, which became the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

“Common sense tells you he specifically targeted the gay community because of the views that exist in the radical Islamic community with regard to the gay community.”