Democrat presidential candidate Jason Palmer wants 'religion to come back into public life'
CP: [There is a] feeling [that] the Democratic Party is pushing life-long Democrats who hold conservative beliefs on sexuality and abortion out of the party. It wasn't that long ago that a [Democratic National Committee] chair said the party wouldn't support candidates who don't support abortion. Do you think the Democratic Party is either intentionally or unintentionally pushing Democrats with conservative views on these issues out of the party?
Palmer: I do think the Democratic Party has moved in what I consider to be a good direction in the last 20 years in being in favor of LGBTQ rights, being in favor of gay marriage. ... If I take my own Quaker heritage, Quakers were the first Christian denomination to do a gay wedding back in 1971, the same year that I was born, and I think that's a positive direction for the country that I actually don't think goes against Christian teachings.
I actually think ... Jesus reached out clearly to those who ... were lepers, prostitutes, the poor, like he worked with all people from all backgrounds, and it was about lifting up those who were less well-off, so that's my feeling on LGBTQ rights.
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On abortion, that's a tougher one. I think it's very important that everybody be allowed to have their own personal opinion clearly expressed and that you should not be kicked out of a party because you hold differing views on when life begins. But I'm also strongly in favor from a government side that there should be a right to choose, for each woman to decide for herself, for each doctor to decide for himself.
I try to look for compromise solutions that can satisfy everyone, and I don't think anyone should ever be required to perform an abortion if it's against their religion, and I don't think anybody should be prevented from having an abortion if it's their personal choice.
CP: You seemed to indicate that you would support allowing doctors who have strong beliefs against abortion to not have to perform abortions.
Palmer: Doctors should not be forced to perform abortions if it violates their own religious or ethical principles.
CP: Do you support the Hyde Amendment, which basically says no taxpayer dollars go to abortion?
Palmer: Yes, I do support the Hyde Amendment. I know that in recent times, the Democratic Party has walked away from it, but I thought it was a very good compromise, and I still do.
CP: There's a view that … certain books that are used in schools have sexual content. Parents have come forward to object to that. … What do you make of the debate right now over the push for parental rights in schools when it comes to parents objecting to sexual content in books and curricula?
Palmer: I don't think that government should be in the business of policing what books are in the library of schools. I think that should be the purview of the librarians that are in those schools.
It feels to me like censorship when parents or government bodies start … saying there shouldn't be certain books in the libraries. I also do believe in school choice, though, … and am a supporter of school choice so that parents can choose to place their children in private, charter or parochial schools if that's their belief system and their desire.
CP: [Do] you think schools should be required to inform parents that their child has decided to go by a different [gender] identity?
Palmer: No. I don't believe that schools should be required to report everything about what's going on at school to parents. They should be required to report absences, grades … things that help track the academic progress of the student at the school … if there's an injury and the child has to go to the nurse or something like that, or even worse, to the hospital.
These are the types of things that schools should be required to report to parents, but if a child chooses to have a different nickname or even go by a different identity, that's really the child's choice. I don't believe schools … [should] be policing things like that.
CP: There's a feminist named Kara Dansky. … She's come out against men in women's prisons, men in women's sports because of the biological advantages that biological males have. And also, gender transition surgeries for minors is another thing that … some people on the left are coming out against, even though most of the opposition comes from the right. So, what are your thoughts on these issues?
Palmer: Generally speaking, I think it's a personal issue if someone wants to change their gender from the sex they were biologically born. I don't believe that children should be able to engage in some type of sex change surgery without parental approval until they're 18 years old. This is a common sense approach, honestly. Parents ... are required to approve lots of things that happen with their children before the age of 18 and this should be no different.
CP: Many states, probably about two dozen at this point, have passed laws that require athletes to compete on teams that correspond with their biological sex because of the differences between men and women. There's been a lot of outrage about trans-identified males who have beaten women in sports. So, what are your thoughts on those state bills and laws?
Palmer: That is honestly a tough one because on the one hand, biological males have a significant advantage when it comes to sports versus biological females, and that's why we have had separate sporting events since the beginning of time. And ... as a former runner myself, ... when I see that someone who was formerly a biological male has transitioned to a woman and then is winning or getting a top spot in an athletic competition, that seems unfair to me.
That strikes me as unfair, so I do think that biological males who choose to transition to being women should be allowed to compete in sports, especially team sports, because sports is such an important part of our culture. But when it comes to championships, then I think it would be reasonable for leagues to say … if you were formerly a biological male or your testosterone levels are at such-and-such or above, you're excluded from these championship competitions.
CP: In some sports leagues, there's a push to create … a third category that's kind of mixed. Would you be in support of something like that?
Palmer: I'm in support of creative solutions, so I would be in support of considering that, but I'd have to learn more about that.
CP: [With] biological men in women's prisons … there are concerns that that leads to sexual assaults of female prisoners. What are your thoughts on that?
Palmer: Yeah, that's… a really good point. I have to admit I have not thought in great detail about prisons and would defer to experts in that area.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
