Despite reports to the contrary, Jeb Bush hasn't changed one iota on his position that a florist shouldn't have to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding if it violates her or his religious beliefs. But since Jeb! was visiting a liberal Silicon Valley start-up Thursday,
he emphasized a different portion of his message when asked about it by an employee,
Jake Poses.
“I don’t think you should be discriminated because of your sexual orientation. Period. Over and out,” he replied.
Except ...
But he said that the objecting florist should not be required to participate in the wedding, a fine line that he hopes will appeal to all sides of the debate.
If you want a long rant about how florists and bakers don't "
participate" in weddings, I wrote it
here. That's why you pay vendors for their services, they're not "participating," they're vending. But since Bush totally rejects discrimination—"Period."—how about supporting LGBT federal nondiscrimination legislation?
“I think this should be done state-by-state," he said.
So, no, you don't support that. Having a patchwork of states in which only 19 prohibit discrimination on the basis of both gender identity and sexual orientation is way better. It avoids what Bush calls "
coercive federal power."
Don't worry, though, Bush has you covered:
“The fact that there wasn’t a law doesn’t necessarily mean you would have been discriminated against.”
No law ≠ discrimination. Phew. And what happens if you do experience discrimination? Suck it—you're on your own. "Period." Let's
revisit the real source of Jeb's inspiration around fairness for LGBT Americans:
"My belief is that religious now is under attack in ways that we have never seen before."
He said that while giving a prepared speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference. That's his inner North Star. But when he was visiting Silicon Valley, Jeb did the same thing he had done in
New Hampshire: moderate his responses.