Trump’s Pick to be America’s Top Diplomat Doesn’t Think Gay Marriage Should Be Legal

CIA Director Mike Pompeo has a long record hostile to gay rights.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo (center), his wife Susan (left) and Vice President Mike Pence.Ron Sachs/CNP via ZUMA Wire

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Thursday during Senate hearings on his nomination to become the next Secretary of State that he stands by his earlier opposition to same sex marriage. He declined to directly answer questions about whether he thought gay sex was a “perversion.” 

Pompeo’s remarks before the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee came under questioning from Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). Pompeo is an evangelical Christian who has been accused of trying to weaken CIA’s diversity efforts undertaken by former Director John Brennan. During his time as a congressman from Kansas, Pompeo spoke against allowing gay service members in the military, once telling the Values Voters Summit that “we cannot use military to promote social ideas that do not reflect the values of your nation.”

After questioning Pompeo about his past anti-Muslim statements, Booker pressed Pompeo on his record on gay rights. “When I was a politician I had a very clear view on whether it was appropriate for two same-sex persons to marry. I stand by that,” Pompeo said. Booker pressed him further, citing the nominee’s past anti-gay rhetoric:

Booker: “Do you believe that gay sex is a perversion? Yes or no.” 

Pompeo: “Senator, if I can…”

Booker: “Yes or no, do you believe gay sex is a perversion? Because it’s what you said here, in one of your speeches. Yes or no, do you believe gay sex is a perversion?”

Pompeo: “Senator, I’m going to give you the same answer I just gave you previously. My respect for every individual, regardless of sexual orientation, is the same.”

Booker told Pompeo that his views were concerning because “you’re going to be Secretary of State of the United States at a time that we have an increasing hate speech and hate actions… You’re going to be representing this country and their values abroad in nations where gay individuals are under untold persecution, untold violence. Your views do matter.”

Watch the exchange below:

WE'LL BE BLUNT:

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't find elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

payment methods

WE'LL BE BLUNT

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate