—Attacked the Biden administration’s new guidance around Title IX protections in a letter to the Secretary of Education that includes the baseless assertion: “Equally disturbing is the likelihood that your department will weaponize Title IX to force a radical gender ideology in K-12 classrooms.” The letter misgendered trans students.
—Attacked a drag artist and used her likeness, without permission, in a baseless campaign ad. The drag queen responded here.
—Targeted drag at military bases, falsely claiming it exposed children to “sexually charged content,” causing the cancellation of Drag Queen Story Hour at a library on a U.S. Air Force base in Germany. In fact, “The U.S. military has a rather lengthy history when it comes to drag shows, particularly during World War II, when cross dress events were not only sanctioned by the Army, but celebrated as a boon for morale,” as MilitaryTimes.com reports.
—Scored 0 out of 100 on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard for the 117th Congress, which scored members of Congress based on a range of key indicators of support—including votes in the Senate to confirm historic, pro-LGBTQ Biden-Harris cabinet officials and judicial nominees, as well as co-sponsorships on pieces of legislation that significantly impact LGBTQ people and their families.
—Ran advertisements across Florida with anti-trans rhetoric in his U.S. Senate campaign in 2022.
—Called the Respect for Marriage Act “a stupid waste of time” and vowed to vote against it. The legislation passed Congress (Rubio voted against it) and was signed into law by President Biden.
—Defended Florid’s anti-LGBTQ “don’t say gay/trans” legislation, and claimed the legislation addressed “instruction” on sexual orientation and gender identity in K-3 classrooms, without basis.
—Said “I believe the definition of the institution of marriage should be between one man and one woman,” in an interview on CBS. In the same interview he said, “I don’t believe same-sex marriage is a Constitutional right…. I also don’t believe that your sexual preferences are a choice for the vast and enormous majority of people. In fact…I believe that sexual preference is something that people are born with.”
—Said about immigration reform, ““If this bill has in it something that gives gay couples immigration rights and so forth, it kills the bill. I’m done. I’m off it, and I’ve said that repeatedly.”
—Opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would make it illegal to discriminate in hiring or fire employees based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. The legislation never passed and was superseded by the Bostock Supreme Court decision in 2020.