http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rand-paul-gay-marriage-libertarian ByCaitlin MacNealPublishedApril 13, 2015, 6:51 AM EDT
CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday pushed presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on his views on same-sex marriage, asking him why, as a libertarian, he doesn't believe gay people should have the freedom to marry.
"Why do you believe just as a core principle, as a libertarian, that people should be left alone, but not when it comes to their right to marry somebody they love?" Bash asked Paul on "State of the Union."
"I do believe people ought to be left alone," Paul responded. "I don't care who you are or what you do at home or who your friends are or what, you know, where you hang out, what kind of music you listen to. What you do in your home is your own business."
"But not when it comes to marriage," Bash added.
Paul responded by differentiating between traditional marriage and a "contract" between gay people.
"Well, no. I mean states -- states will end up making the decisions on these things. I think that there's a religious connotation to marriage. I believe in the traditional religious connotation to this," Paul answered. "But I also believe people ought to be treated fairly under the law. I see no reason why if the marriage contract conveys certain things that if -- if you -- if you want to marry another woman that you can do that and have a contract."
Pauls has said before that gay marriage "offends" him and that a "moral crisis" in the U.S. led to same-sex marriage. He's also pitched allowing gays to make a contract with each other, but not get married.
