Democratic presidential hopefuls waded into theological waters while speaking at a forum on LGBTQ equality Thursday in Los Angeles, contrasting their liberal approaches to faith with that of religious perspectives that oppose same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights.
Nine candidates participated in the forum, which was organized by CNN and the LGBTQ rights advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. They fielded questions on a variety of topics, ranging from same-sex marriage to their thoughts on whether organizations and businesses should have the right to invoke religion as a reason to deny services or opportunities to LGBTQ people.
When Pete Buttigieg was asked to point to any verses in the Bible that support refusing services to LGBTQ people — a reference to so-called religious refusal laws that allow organizations and businesses to invoke religion as a reason to deny services — the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Ind.