John Lewis in Courage and Consequence

On Civil Rights: Gay marriage restrictions stink same as racism

To discourage resistance, gay marriage supporters decided those who disagreed with them had to be bigots. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, for instance, wrote, "I've heard the reasons for opposing civil marriage for same-sex couples. Cut through the distractions, and they stink of the same fear, hatred and intolerance I have known in racism and in bigotry." This made gay marriage the kind of issue most political candidates dread--not because they don't know where they stand, but because no one likes being branded a hater.