Susan Sarandon attacks Hillary Clinton’s gay rights record
By Ben Kelly
Actress and activist Susan Sarandon has attacked the gay rights record of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
“It’s one thing to be for gay rights and gay marriage once everybody else is for it – that’s not difficult,” she said, at a rally for Clinton’s rival Bernie Sanders in Iowa.
A long time ally for LGBT right, Sarandon has a gay son, and made a video in support of gay rights in 2003.
Speaking to the Daily Mail afterwards, Sarandon clarified her remarks when asked if she thought Clinton was a ‘johnny-come-lately’ to gay rights. “Yeah, she was,” the actress said. “There’s a number of issues where she has come around but she very clearly equivocated or was not there in the beginning.
“She was not, and that’s a matter of record, and yes she has come around,” Sarandon added, ‘but my point is, it’s great that she came around, but wouldn’t it be great to be a leader instead of a follower, especially if you’re going to hold the highest office in the land?’
Former U.S. Secretary of State Clinton has made LGBT rights one of the major focus points of her campaign, although critics have always pointed out that she was opposed to marriage equality as recently as 2007, and did not vocally support it until 2013.
Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, has supported gay rights since the 1970s, and voted against the Defence of Marriage Act in 1996 – signed by President Clinton – which blocked equal marriage across the U.S. until its repeal in 2015.
Throwing her endorsement behind Sanders – a self described socialist – Sarandon became tearful as she described him as ‘consistent’, ‘principled’ and ‘incredibly brave’.
Sarandon also praised Sanders’ leadership in standing against the Iraq war, which is where she said Clinton lost her, when she voted in favour.
Iowa will be the first state to have its say on who should take the Democratic nomination for the presidency, when it becomes the first primary to vote on 1 February.
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