Actress and LGBT activist Ellen Page was at the Iowa State Fair today and stumbled upon Ted Cruz grilling up pork chops for a campaign stunt. Seizing the opportunity to take this smarmy prig to task for his rabid homophobia, she confronted the senator. Page began by asking Cruz “What about the question about LGBT people being fired for being gay-trans?” Cruz shot back with a patented “Well, what we’re seeing right now, we’re seeing Bible-believing Christians being persecuted for living according to their faith.”
“You’re discriminating against LGBT people. Would you use that argument in segregation?” Page fired back. Cruz met her with a prickly “Now I’m happy to answer your question, but not to have a back-and-forth debate." Yet that is just what happened for the next six minutes.
Here's my partial transcription of the video, although do yourself a favor and watch it. Page truly held her own against this vile man.
Cruz: We're seeing Bible-believing Christians being persecuted for living according to their faith.
Page: For discriminating against LGBT people.
Cruz: No, for living according to their faith.
Page: What about the question about LGBT people being fired for being gay-trans?
Cruz: Well, what we’re seeing right now, we’re seeing Bible-believing Christians being persecuted for living according to their faith.
Page: You’re discriminating against LGBT people,. Well, would you use that argument in segregation?
Cruz: Now I’m happy to answer your question, but not to have a back-and-forth debate.
Cruz: Imagine, hypothetically, you had a gay florist and imagine two evangelicals wanted to get married and they decide, ‘You know what, I disagree with your faith and I don’t want to provide flowers.
Page: I would say they should provide the flowers.
Cruz: We don't have the right to force a Jewish rabbi to conduct a Christian wedding ceremony. We don't have the right to force a Muslim imam to conduct a Jewish wedding ceremony. We are a country that respects pluralism and diversity. And there is this liberal intolerance that says that anyone that dares follow a biblical teaching of marriage, that is the union of one man and one woman, must be persecuted, must be fined, and has to be driven out of business.
Page: I disagree. (Inaudible)...more tolerance for LGBT people who have constantly been persecuted in this country. It used to be illegal. They were thrown in jail and we've come a really, really long way.
Cruz: Who's been thrown in jail?
Page: Gay people used to be thrown in jail when it was illegal in this country.
Cruz: Do you know where gay people are being persecuted right now?
Page: All over the world.
Cruz: ISIS is executing gay people. Iran is executing homosexuals. And on the left you hear complete silence about Iran hanging homosexuals.
Page: That's not true.
Cruz: And the Obama administration is sending over a hundred billion dollars to a regime that murders homosexuals.
Page: Christians in Uganda, Christians in Jamaica, all persecuting gays to a really, really violent extent.
Cruz: Does that trouble you at all that you draw a moral equivalence between Christians in Jamaica and radical Islamic terrorists in ISIS that are beheading children. They are not morally equivalent. Murder is murder is murder and it is wrong. And it is wrong across the board. And there is a difference between a community like Jamaica that may have different standards. May not be celebrating a gay pride parade. But they are not murdering people. If they were murdering people, that would be wrong. But in Iran and ISIS, it is the governmental body that is executing them for being homosexual. And why does the Obama administration not stand against it?
Page: I don't know. I would love to talk to Obama it. That would be great.
Cruz: Well good, we're agreed on that.
Page: No, no we're not. Don't do that.
Not once during the entire exchange did Cruz even try to answer Page's question about workplace discrimination. Instead, he immediately began deflecting the issue to discuss public accommodation laws and the poor put upon Christians who shouldn't have to abide by them because Jesus.
Given the amount of constant deflection he did during the exchange, there is no question whatsoever that Page bested him. She is proving herself a powerful voice for the movement. Nicely done, Ellen.