Fox News Sunday, "Choosing the President" interviews: on Civil Rights

Fred Thompson: Be tolerant of gays, but no special categories or rights

A: I think that we ought to be a tolerant nation. I think we ought to be tolerant people. But we shouldn’t set up special Q: Let’s do a lightning round to see where you stand. Gay rights.

A: I think that we ought to be a tolerant nation. I think we ought to be tolerant people. But we shouldn’t set up special categories for anybody. And I’m for the rights of everybody, including gays, but not any special rights.

Fred Thompson: No gay marriage; leave civil unions to the states

A: Yes. You know, marriage is between a man and a woman, and I don’t believe judges ought to come along and change that.

Q: What about civil unions?

A: I think that that ought to be left up to the states. I personally do not think that that is a good idea, but I believe in many of these cases where there’s real dispute in the country, these things are not going to be ever resolved. People are going to have different ideas. That’s why we have states. We ought to give great leeway to states and not have the federal government and not have the Supreme Court of the United States making social policy that’s contrary to the traditions of this country and changing that overnight. And that’s what’s happened in a lot of these areas.