Gary Johnson in Reason magazine

On Civil Rights: Denying gay couples the right to marry is discrimination

Gary Johnson said he's "disappointed" with President Obama's position on gay marriage. Obama told ABC he would let each individual state decide the gay marriage question instead of seeking federal protection of the right to marry. Johnson noted that more than 30 states already ban same sex marriage in one way or another.

Johnson said, "Instead of insisting on equality as a US Constitutional guarantee, the President has thrown this question back to the states. When the smoke clears, Gay Americans will realize that millions of Americans in most states will continue to be denied true marriage equality."

Johnson, once a long-time supporter of civil unions, has also "evolved" on the gay marriage question. "As I have examined this issue, consulted with folks on all sides, and viewed it through the lens of individual freedom and equal rights," he said in December 2011, "it has become clear to me that denying those rights and benefits to gay couples is discrimination, plain and simple."

Source: Reason Magazine on 2016 presidential hopefuls May 10, 2012

On Foreign Policy: Take our share of Syrian refugees; not too many but not zero

Q: Your former party, the Republicans, are dead set against allowing Syrian refugees to enter the country. Republican governors (and at least one Democrat) say the risk of ISIS terrorists slipping in through the process is simply too great. Chris Christie went even further than Ted Cruz by saying he wouldn't even admit Christian children. We have currently agreed to let in 10,000 by the end of 2017, but some Democrats want to raise that number to 65,000. What would your refugee policy toward Syrians be?

A: We need to take our share, and I'm not sure what that share should be. I'd like to come up with a formula based on our coalition partners. I wouldn't say zero, but I don't know if 65,000 puts us in the category of "our fair share."

Source: Reason Magazine, interview by Anthony L. Fisher Nov 19, 2015

On Homeland Security: Drone strikes create more terrorists

Q: How would a Libertarian president respond to the terrorist attacks in Paris?

A: The only way a libertarian will act military is by being attacked, and we've been attacked. I oppose boots on the ground, but you can't rule out military intervention categorically.

Q: What does that mean? Drone strikes?

A: When it comes to drones, I think it makes a bad situation even worse. We end up killing innocents and fueling hatred as opposed to containing it. It just hasn't worked. We need to educate ourselves on the root causes of this, which is Islamic terrorism and the ideology of sharia law. In this country, we've become so politically correct that in the name of freedom of religion we have allowed sharia law and its adherents to advance. We need to differentiate between freedom of religion and the politics of sharia law. Freedom of religion, absolutely. But if you're talking about allowing sharia law that runs contrary to the US Constitution, that is ideologically the war that we need to take on

Source: Reason Magazine, interview by Anthony L. Fisher Nov 19, 2015

The above quotations are from Columns and news articles in Reason magazine. Click here for other excerpts from Columns and news articles in Reason magazine. Click here for other excerpts by Gary Johnson. Click here for a profile of Gary Johnson.
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