Ron DeSantis on Civil Rights

DE&I is discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination

DeSANTIS: Well, the U.S. is not a racist country, and we've overcome things in our history. I think the founding fathers established a set of principles that are universal. Now they may not have been universally applied at the time but I think they understood that those principles would be the engine for progress for generations to come.

Q: Is the Republican Party a racist party?

DeSANTIS: I think the Republican Party stands for merit and achievement and colorblindness. In Florida, I've eliminated things at our universities like this DE&I. They say it's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, but it's really very ideological. I think the way it's actually practiced, it stands for discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination. And it's wrong. Let's not divvy people up based on race, ethnicity, or gender. Let's treat people as individuals, not as members of group.

We've eliminated so-called DEI from our public universities

We have also overhauled faculty hiring to avoid ideological litmus tests and required all tenured professors to undergo review every five years so poor performers can be terminated. The reforms instituted have transformed the college from an outpost of ideological indoctrination into an institution rooted in truth. We have ensured that higher education in Florida is affordable--freezing tuition for the past decade. We also have supported Bright Futures scholarships that make it even more affordable for our top students.

Those who got violent need to be held accountable

Backs bill impeding voting by ex-felons

Core values that have made America great

"Ron DeSantis is a Reagan conservative who will stand for limited government principles and traditional values," Schlafly said in a statement on Monday. "We must send authentic conservatives like Ron to Congress, not 'go along to get along' politicians who place expediency over principle. We cannot afford to elect anymore RINOs. Ron DeSantis represents a new generation of conservative leadership--he is pro-life, strong on marriage issues and is committed to bold reforms. He will be a leader in Congress and will be an articulate defender of the Constitution."

DeSantis said. "I am committed to reversing the Obama agenda and reasserting American sovereignty, limited government principles and religious freedom. I will be guided by the core values that have made America great."

Opposes same-sex marriage.

Project Vote Smart infers candidate issue stances on key topics by summarizing public speeches and public statements. Congressional candidates are given the opportunity to respond in detail; about 11% did so in the 2012 races.

Project Vote Smart summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: 'Marriage: Do you support same-sex marriage?'

Religious objections to GLBT services same as 1960s racism.

Heritage Action Summary: The Maloney Amendment would ratify President Obama`s 2014 executive order barring federal contractors from what it describes as `discrimination` on the basis of `sexual orientation and gender identity` in their private employment policies. In practice, it would have required federal contractors to grant biologically male employees who identify as women unfettered access to women`s lockers, showers, and bathrooms.

Heritage Foundation recommendation to vote NO: (5/25/2016): Congress should not be elevating sexual orientation and gender identity as a protected class garnering special legal privileges, which is the intent of the Maloney Amendment. The Maloney Amendment constitutes bad policy that unnecessarily regulates businesses. It risks undoing longstanding protections in civil rights law and makes clear that the president`s orders are not exempt from them.

ACLU recommendation to vote YES: (5/11/2016): We see today claims to a right to discriminate--by refusing to provide services to LGBT people--based on religious objections. Claiming a right to discriminate in the name of religion is not new. In the 1960s, we saw objections to laws requiring integration in restaurants because of sincerely held beliefs that God wanted the races to be separate. We saw religiously affiliated universities refuse to admit students who engaged in interracial dating. In those cases, we recognized that requiring integration was not about violating religious liberty; it was about ensuring fairness. It`s no different today.

Religious freedom in America means that we all have a right to our religious beliefs, but this does not give us the right to use our religion to impose those beliefs on others.

Legislative outcome: Amendment passed by the House 223-195-15 4/26/16; overall bill H.R.5055 failed 112-305-16 on 5/26/2016

Respect faith-based opposition to same-sex marriage.

Congressional Summary: The First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) prohibits the federal government from taking discriminatory action against a person on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that:

1. marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or
2. sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.

Political Argument Opposed: [ACLU, July 20, 2015]: The House of Representatives & leading anti-LGBT organizations are pushing a bill--disingenuously titled the First Amendment Defense Act--that would open the door to unprecedented taxpayer-funded discrimination against LGBT people, single mothers, and unmarried couples. This bill would

• allow federal contractors, including those that provide homeless shelters or drug treatment programs, to turn away LGBT people
• permit a university to fire an unmarried teacher simply for becoming pregnant
• permit federal employees to refuse to process tax returns, visa applications, or Social Security checks for all married same-sex couples