Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Thursday told a conservative audience that liberals needed to respect his views because support the right of states to discriminate against LGBT people “does not make me a bigot,” and opposing the reproductive rights of women “does not make you a chauvinist.”

Speaking to the Conservative Political Action Conference, the tea party-backed senator insisted that it was possible to work with people who did not agree with conservative views.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Now in order to work together with people that you disagree with, there has to be mutual respect,” he explained. “That means I respect people that disagree with me on certain things, but they have to respect me too.”

“Just because I believe that states should have the right to define marriage in a traditional way does not make me a bigot,” Rubio said to cheers from the audience. “Just because we believe life, all life — all human life is worthy of protection at every stage in its development does not make you a chauvinist.”

“In fact, the people that are really closed minded in American politics are the people that love to preach about the certainty of science in regard to our climate, but ignore the absolute fact that science has proven that life begins at conception.”

Watch this video from CNN, broadcast March 14, 2013.