During an interview with CNN on Thursday, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) stated that “we cannot now use the argument that it is my religious belief that if you’re gay, I will not sell you a cake,” and vowed that if elected, he would pass “very broad and sweeping legislation” barring “discrimination against anybody because of their sexual orientation.”

Sanders said, “I am very worried about the right wing in this country now using the argument of freedom of religion to force discrimination. We all believe in freedom of religion. We’re all proud Americans, everybody has the right to practice their own religion. But we cannot now use the argument that it is my religious belief that if you’re gay, I will not sell you a cake, or I will — if you are black, it is my religious belief you can’t come into my store, if you’re Jewish, or whatever. We’ve gone way, way beyond that. And it worries me very much that there is a strong movement trying to bring — under the guise of freedom of religion, racism, and sexism, and homophobia back into this –.”

He later added, “We would pass federal legislation that makes it clear, absolutely clear that it is illegal to prohibit — to have discrimination against anybody because of their sexual orientation. That’s clear, and it would be very broad and sweeping legislation, at work and any other capacity of life.”

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