During CNN’s “Equality Town Hall” on Thursday, floundering presidential hopeful Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke said religious institutions that oppose same-sex marriage would lose their tax-exempt status in the astronomically unlikely event he is elected president.
Moderator Don Lemon asked, “This is from your LGBTQ plan. This is what you write. Freedom of religion is a fundamental right, but it should not be used to discriminate. Do you think religious institutions like colleges, churches, charities, should they lose their tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage?”
“Yes. There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone or any institution, any organization in America that denies the full human rights, and the full civil rights of every single one of us,” O’Rourke said. “And so as president, we’re going to make that a priority, and we are going to stop those who are infringing upon human rights.”
Infringing on freedom of religion is infringing on human rights.