Why This Libertarian Supports Gay Marriage and Religious Liberty

Many advocates of same-sex marriage are all for equal rights until it comes to the religious liberty rights of individuals and private business owners who don’t want to participate in same-sex weddings.  

But as Cato Institute constitutional scholar Ilya Shapiro explains, you can be an advocate for both.  

I begin our conversation by asking Shapiro whether the government should be in the business of defining and licensing the institution of marriage in the first place. He debunks the Jim Crow laws and racism comparison that many supporters of same-sex marriage have made and says supporting religious freedom laws that allow individuals, such as a photographer, or private businesses, such as a bakery, to decline to do work for same-sex weddings based on their religious beliefs is a consistent “live and let live” position that more progressives should embrace.

>>>For more on this, see Ryan T. Anderson’s new book, “The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom.”