Republican 2024 presidential candidate Will Hurd called out his own party's LGBTQ+ attacks during a CNN appearance on Sunday morning.
LGBTQ+ rights have become a major culture war issue for Republican presidential candidates hoping to win over support from conservative voters who will likely be decisive in the primary elections next year. Leading candidates like former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have embraced calls to restrict LGBTQ+ rights ranging from limits on discussion of these identities in school or restricting access to gender-affirming health care for transgender individuals.
The embrace of right-wing social policies among Republican candidates comes as many in the LGBTQ+ community warn of a rise of anti-gay and anti-transgender sentiment among many Americans, marked by a rise in threats against the LGBTQ+ community and new bills aimed at limiting their rights. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), at least 491 of those bills have been introduced in state legislatures so far this year.
Hurd, a former Texas congressman, called on Republicans to stop attacking the LGBTQ+ community and instead set their sights on what he views as the most important issues to the country during an appearance on CNN's State of the Union.
"I wish they would focus their attacks on war criminals like [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, not my friends in the LGBTQ community," he said. "It is 2023. We should be talking about how do we embrace our differences."
He added that he believes Americans are "better together" and that political leaders should be encouraging unity and using the country's diversity to solve "the major problems that we're facing" such as relations with China or the economy.
His remarks come after a series of events have again brought LGBTQ+ rights to the forefront of American political discourse. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a graphic artist on Friday who did not want to design wedding websites for same-sex couples, a move critics warn opens the door for discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
"This decision makes me uncomfortable because we're protecting speech that I don't agree with, and I don't agree personally with an anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment," Hurd said on Sunday. "But we have to be protecting the speech, even if we don't like or agree with that speech. That's a foundational element in our country."
Meanwhile, on the campaign trail, DeSantis' latest attack against Trump for previously voicing support for some transgender rights drew criticism from the largest group of gay Republicans, who warned that his rhetoric has "ventured into homophobic territory."
Newsweek reached out to Hurd's campaign for comment via email.
Hurd retired from Congress following the 2020 election and was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2015. He represented a competitive congressional district that spanned the U.S.-Mexico border, winning several close races.
He established himself as one of the most moderate Republicans in the House throughout his tenure and voted in 2019 to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. However, his presidential campaign, which he announced last month, is viewed as a longshot as he competes with other anti-Trump moderates such as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
