Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Saturday that his preference for what he calls the “traditional view of marriage” wouldn’t stop him from attending the same-sex wedding of a loved one.
“Sure, if it’s somebody I loved and cared for, absolutely,” Jindal told reporters.
“Now, the reality is I don’t like attending a lot of weddings,” he joked.
Jindal has been an outspoken opponents of same-sex marriage and voiced strong support Saturday for religious liberty laws like the one in Indiana earlier this year, which sought to protect individuals who objected to participating in same-sex weddings but came under fire for being discriminatory against same-sex couples.
The Indiana law has since been tweaked, and during his speech at Iowa’s Faith and Freedom summit on Saturday, Jindal blasted corporations that sided with critics of the law.
“We’ve got legislation in Louisiana to protect people of faith and conscience who hold a traditional view of marriage,” he said. “They might as well save their breath, because corporate America is not going to bully the governor of Louisiana.”
The Supreme Courts hears oral arguments next week on whether states have the right to enforce same-sex marriage bans. Jindal said he supports legislation and amendments before Congress right now that seek to protect state bans, arguing that it’s not the role of the Supreme Court to “legislate.”
“I don’t think it’s right for the courts to overturn the will of the people,” he told reporters.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who announced his bid for president earlier this month, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who’s considering a presidential run, have also said they’d attend a gay wedding. But former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, another possible candidate, told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt earlier this month that he would not.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who says he’ll announce his 2016 decision later in June, said last week he’s attended a wedding reception for a gay couple.
