Now comes the third Republican presidential debate for the 2016 campaign season, and what do LGBT people know now that they didn’t know after the first two debates?

They know Rand Paul thinks LGBT people wouldn’t need non-discrimination laws if they would just stay in the closet. They hear Ben Carson says, “I have nothing against gay people whatsoever” but believes allowing same-sex couples to marry is equivalent to tossing the “word of God …into the garbage.” They know Ted Cruz would like is not only against allowing transgender people in the military, he’d like to go back and create a new ban on all LGBT people. They read Mike Huckabee criticize President Obama’s appointment of openly gay Eric Fanning to be Secretary of the Army, saying, “It’s clear President Obama is more interested in appeasing America’s homosexuals than honoring America’s heroes.” And they learn that Donald Trump promised a Faith & Freedom Coalition that his first priority as president would be to protect religious liberty because, as he told the evangelical conservative audience, “I’m one of you — just remember that.”

LGBT people also know that support for these and other GOP candidates with hostile positions on LGBT matters has not changed significantly for all but one of the candidates (Carson’s gone up 5 points) since the second debate, in September. Carly Fiorina, who impressed many with her second debate performance, is right back at her pre-second debate polling number: 5 percent. Frontrunner Donald Trump is at 24 percent, just one point off from where he was prior to the second debate.

Meanwhile, support for John Kasich, George Pataki, and Chris Christie, the field’s most moderate on LGBT issues, has dropped to one percent each.

CNBC is hosting the next debate at the Coors Event Center in liberal Boulder, Colorado, on the campus of the University of Colorado, October 28. CNBC has indicated it will focus on employment, taxes, the deficit, and the national economy, so presumably a question might arise about the federal Equality Act. The Equality Act is a bill in Congress that seeks to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and other areas. This probability increased recently with the publicity around Senator Rand Paul’s remark that that LGBT people could escape discrimination in the workplace by staying the closet. And Bush took a muddled position on the issue in July when he said he didn’t think gay people should be discriminated against at their jobs but he believes Christian business owners who oppose marriage for same-sex couples should be able to be “guided by [their] faith.”

There are some unanswered questions on other LGBT-related issues, too.

For instance, only eight of the 15 GOP hopefuls have taken a position (for it) on the First Amendment Defense Act. This bill was introduced to Congress shortly before the Supreme Court’s ruling that state bans on marriage for same-sex couples is unconstitutional. It is part of the effort to circumvent laws prohibiting discrimination against same-sex couples by urging that such discrimination is a product of a person’s free exercise of religion. It seeks to prohibit the federal government from taking any adverse action against a person who “acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman.” The other seven GOP candidates have not yet weighed in.

All 15 Republican candidates are vowing to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, if elected. But most LGBT activists see the Affordable Care Act as providing critical support for the battle against HIV infection and much needed support for community health centers. The law also prohibits discrimination in health care coverage based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and it prohibits insurance companies from excluding people with pre-existing conditions such as HIV infection and breast cancer.

On Common Core, a set of educational standards –developed at the initiative of the National Governors Association—for math and English language arts, many right-wing conservatives oppose. All but one of GOP candidates (Kasich) have expressed general opposition to Common Core, though Bush has been supportive of having “standards.”

The standards recommended by Common Core are not mandatory and do not promote a specific curriculum. But opponents claim, among other things, that the standards promote homosexuality. There is nothing in the Common Core standards that even mentions homosexuality or LGBT people, but the Southern Poverty Law Center says the concerns appear to be based on some “exemplar texts” that the Common Core offer for educators to consider. The 78 texts include Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Walden by Henry David Thoreau, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston –all well-established classics that do not discuss homosexuality.

The CNBC Wednesday, October 28, debate begins at 6 p.m. EDT with candidates who are polling at less than three percent but more than one percent, followed at 8 p.m. EDT with the candidates who are polling at at least three percent. The New York Times reported that only about 50 students are expected to get tickets to the event, which is expected to accommodate 1,000 people. Openly gay U.S. Rep. Jared Polis is supporting an effort by students to get more seats, according to the local Fox News affiliate.

Here’s where the GOP candidates stand on these issues:

 

JEB BUSH

First Amendment Defense Act: No comment on point.

Affordable Care Act: Responding to Supreme Court ruling upholding ACA subsidies for people in states that don’t set up health insurance exchanges, Bush said “this fatally-flawed law imposes job-killing mandates, causes spending in Washington to skyrocket by $1.7 trillion, raises taxes by $1 trillion and drives up health care costs.”

Common Core: Supports having “standards” but adds that the federal government should not be involved. (The Obama administration has provided grants to states that adopt the standards.)

 

DONALD TRUMP

First Amendment Defense Act: No statement available.

Affordable Care Act: Says it should be repealed, but Bloomberg News says Trump’s proposed replacement sounds very similar to the ACA.

Common Core: Opposes it, saying: “I think that education should be local, absolutely. I think that for people in Washington to be setting curriculum and to be setting all sorts of standards for people living in Iowa and other places is ridiculous.”

 

MARCO RUBIO

First Amendment Defense Act: Is a co-sponsor of the First Amendment Defense Act (S. 1598) that seeks to prohibit the federal government from taking any kind of adverse action against a person who “believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman.”

Affordable Care Act: Says he would repeal and replace with tax credits for employers who offer health insurance coverage, “reform” insurance regulations, and encourage individual health savings accounts.

Common Core: Says he opposes it because it will turn into a mandate. Voted for an amendment to “allow states to opt out of Common Core without penalty,” expressing opposition to the Obama administration’s policy of providing federal funds to states which opted in

 

BEN CARSON

First Amendment Defense Act: Signed the National Organization for Marriage Act, which includes statement supporting FADA.

Affordable Care Act: Carson says the ACA is a “monstrosity.” He supports creating Health Savings Accounts.

Common Core: Says it must be “overturned.”

Other notables: After the second debate, Carson business manager Armstrong Williams told CNN that Carson’s campaign wasn’t interested in the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ reaction to Carson’s statement that a Muslim should not become president. “When they change their actions and their behavior,” said Williams, noting that “ISIS [is] beheading people, treating women like animals…and killing homosexuals because of their choice.” As the controversy gained steam, the Carson posted on his campaign’s Facebook page: “Those republicans that take issue with my position are amazing. Under Islamic law, homosexuals –men and women alike—must be killed. Women must be subservient, and people following other religions must be killed…until these tenants are fully renounced…I cannot advocate any Muslim candidate for president.”

Campaign website: Under “Keep Faith in Our Society,” the campaign states “The United States of America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles….However, we need to reverse the recent trend of secular progressives using activist, federal judges to drive faith out of our society.”

 

JOHN KASICH

First Amendment Defense Act: Could find no statement on point.

Affordable Care Act: Wants to repeal the law and refused to let Ohio set up health insurance exchanges but expanded a key part of the ACA: Medicaid to people with low incomes.

Common Core: Told Fox News’ Chris Wallace that he supports Common Core and he demonstrated an accurate understanding of how the standards were developed and how they are implemented.

 

CARLY FIORINA

First Amendment Defense Act: Could find no statement on point.

Affordable Care Act: Says ACA must be repealed because its tax and regulatory codes are too complicated.

Common Core: Opposes.

Campaign website: Includes video showing Fiorina saying that “government should not bestow benefits unequally,” but added that she has “always been a supporter of civil unions” and benefits to same-sex couples at Hewitt-Packard. She added that she hopes people with different views on the issues can “tolerate each other.” Two other videos show Fiorina explaining that the Indiana Religious Freedom Act –which sought to allow discrimination against same-sex couples—does not discriminate in any way against LGBT people.

 

TED CRUZ

First Amendment Defense Act: Is a co-sponsor of the First Amendment Defense Act (S. 1598) that seeks to prohibit the federal government from taking any kind of adverse action against a person who “believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman.”

Affordable Care Act: Although he is a leading critic of the ACA, he signed up for coverage under ACA in March when his wife lost her health benefits through her employer. “I believe we should follow the text of every law, even laws I disagree with,” Cruz told CNN.

Common Core: Wants to “repeal” the “curriculum” because the federal government is “dictating what’s being taught to your kids.” Co-sponsored and Voted for an amendment to “allow states to opt out of Common Core without penalty,” expressing opposition to the Obama administration’s policy of providing federal funds to states which opted in.

 

CHRIS CHRISTIE

First Amendment Defense Act: No statement on point.

Affordable Care Act: As governor of New Jersey, Christie accepted increases in Medicaid dollars under ACA but rejected the opportunity to provide a state operated exchange for health insurance options. He has repeatedly called the ACA a “failed policy.”

Common Core: Initially, he was for it; but in June, he began opposing it, saying “it’s simply not working” in New Jersey.

 

RAND PAUL

First Amendment Defense Act: Is a co-sponsor of the First Amendment Defense Act (S. 1598) that seeks to prohibit the federal government from taking any kind of adverse action against a person who “believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman.”

Affordable Care Act: Says one of his first acts as president would be to repeal the ACA.

Common Core: Opposes it. Voted for an amendment to “allow states to opt out of Common Core without penalty,” expressing opposition to the Obama administration’s policy of providing federal funds to states which opted in

Other notables: At a Drake University forum October 14, an audience member asked Paul whether he thinks an employer should be able to fire an LGBT employee just because that person is LGBT. A videotape posted by The Hill newspaper captured Paul’s response: “I think really the things that you do in your house we can just leave those things in your house and they wouldn’t have to be part of the workplace, to tell you the truth. These are very difficult decisions on what you decide will be employer decisions or not.” The next day, in an interview with CNN, Paul said, “I don’t think anybody should be fired for being gay. I do also, though, believe that your personal life should be personal and shouldn’t affect anyone firing you. So I don’t think the decision whether to hire or fire you should be based on things from your personal life. So when I say that it should remain in your house –yeah, I don’t think it should be part of the decision-of the business. So I might have been able to word it better….”

 

MIKE HUCKABEE

First Amendment Defense Act: Told a right-wing political website, “Yeah, I would sign it.”

Affordable Care Act: Called the ACA a “disaster” and the Supreme Court decision upholding subsidies for insurance under ACA “an out-of-control act of judicial tyranny.” Promises, as president, he would repeal ACA.

Common Core: He initially supported the standards but then began opposing them.

 

RICK SANTORUM

First Amendment Defense Act: Supports the bill. Told CNN he thinks it would resolve conflicts such as the one in Kentucky.

Affordable Care Act: Says he would repeal the ACA and encourage citizens to set up their own private health savings accounts.

Common Core: Opposes it.

 

BOBBY JINDAL

First Amendment Defense Act: Signed the National Organization for Marriage Act, which includes statement supporting FADA.

Affordable Care Act: Says the ACA has been a “complete failure” and says he has a detailed plan to repeal and replace it.

Common Core: Initially supported Common Core then issued an executive order to repeal it.

 

LINDSEY GRAHAM

First Amendment Defense Act: Is a co-sponsor of the First Amendment Defense Act (S. 1598) that seeks to prohibit the federal government from taking any kind of adverse action against a person who “believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman.”

Affordable Care Act: Wants to repeal or defund the ACA.

Common Core: Voted for an amendment to “allow states to opt out of Common Core without penalty,” expressing opposition to the Obama administration’s policy of providing federal funds to states which opted in.

Other notable: According to ABC, Graham is unlikely to make the cut for the secondary debate.

 

GEORGE PATAKI

First Amendment Defense Act: No statement on point.

Affordable Care Act: Called the ACA the “worst law of my lifetime.” Says he wants to repeal and replace it.

Common Core: Called it a “horrible idea” and said he opposes any “national education standards.”

JIM GILMORE

First Amendment Defense Act: No statement on point.

Affordable Care Act: Says he will “repeal and replace it”

Common Core: He’s against it.

Other notable: According to ABC, Gilmore is unlikely to make the cut for the secondary debate.

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