Political Quotes

“I want to speak to an issue of individual liberty, an issue at the heart of the amendment offered by my friend, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe). Specifically, I want to talk about the liberty to pursue any field of employment at which one excels. Some people around here seem to believe that this liberty should not exist with respect to gays, lesbians and bisexuals. This belief is so misguided, so contrary to our Nation's ideals, and so outside the mainstream, that its proponents have felt the need to justify it with untruth after red herring after misrepresentation. We hear that forbidding discrimination against Federal civilian workers on the basis of their sexual orientation grants special rights to homosexuals. We hear that forbidding such discrimination protects misconduct on the job. I half expect to soon hear that protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination in the workplace is responsible for global warming and ethnic conflict in the Middle East. All of these claims are designed to distract us from the key question at hand. Do Members believe it is acceptable for gays and lesbians and bisexuals who perform their jobs well to be fired from their jobs solely on the basis of their sexual orientation? I say absolutely not.”