During a recent appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash, Rand Paul was asked to discuss his views on marriage:

Dana Bash: “I realize that you believe gay marriage is a state issue, but why do you believe, just as a core principle as a libertarian that people should be left alone, but not when it comes to their right to marry someone they love?”

Paul: “I do believe people ought to be left alone. I don’t care who you are or what you do at home or who your friends are or what, you know, where you hang out, what kind of music you listen to, what you do in your home is your own business. That’s always been who I am. I am a leave me alone kind of guy.”

Bash: “But not when it comes to marriage?”

Paul: “Well, no, I mean, states will end up making the decisions on these things. I think that there is a religious connotation to marriage, I believe in the traditional religious connotation to this. But, I also believe people ought to be treated fairly under the law. I see no reason why, if the marriage contract conveys certain things, that, if you want to marry another woman, you can do that and have a contract, but the thing is the religious connotation of marriage that has been going on for thousands of years, I want to preserve that. And you probably could have both,” he said. “You could have both traditional marriage, which I believe in. And then you could also have the neutrality of the law that allows people to have contracts with another.”

Joshua Pinho works for American Principles in Action.