VA GOPer defends discrimination against gay judicial nominee

Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall (R-Prince William) took to CNN on Friday to defend the legislature's failure to confirm Tracy Thorne-Begland as a judicial appointee. Check out the exchange:



Delegate Marshall's argument boils down to this:

1. Laws are set up to discriminate against homosexuals like Tracy Thorne-Begland.
2. Thorne-Begland was coerced into hiding his identity and, in doing so, breaking said discriminatory laws.
3. When Thorne-Begland breaks discriminatory laws, and when he advocates for reforming such laws so that no one is compelled to break them, he disqualifies himself from being a judge.

Delegate Marshall refused to answer whether or not a gay man could ever be an acceptable judicial appointee in his eyes.

Kudos to the other members of the discussion, who handled Marshall's bigoted logic as well as they could (even pointing out that, despite Marshall's assertions, sodomy is a civil right and has been since the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas ruling).