NEW YORK (AP) – President Barack Obama says freedom of religion isn’t a reason to deny Americans their constitutional rights.
Obama appeared to be referring to Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. Davis said such unions violated her religious beliefs.
She was jailed for several days over her defiance of the Supreme Court ruling that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry.
Obama says it’s important to recognize that some parts of the country remain uncomfortable with same-sex marriage. But he says that while Americans cherish the right to freedom of religion, it can’t be used to deny a person’s constitutional rights.
Obama commented at a Democratic Party fundraiser in New York for the LGBT community.