The tech billionaire has been making major contributions to his former employee for his U.S. Senate bid. He might be surprised by Masters’ view on Thiel’s own wedding.
Roger Sollenberger
Political Reporter
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Alamy
Republican senatorial candidate Blake Masters enjoys the financial and political support of his longtime friend, mentor, and billionaire business partner Peter Thiel, who is gay. But Masters, who attended Thiel’s wedding, also apparently believes Thiel’s marriage should be illegal.
“It’s not just Disney, you know—‘follow your heart,’” Masters said at a campaign event earlier this year. “It has a point.”
That “point,” he said, is making children. And since there’s no procreation within same-sex marriages, Masters reasoned, those unions don’t have a point—and therefore should be banned.
Masters, 34, shared this perspective in February with an audience at a Republican Women’s Club event in San Tan Valley, Arizona, where he’s running for Senate. The 2015 Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage, he told this group, amounted to “squinting and making up so-called rights in the Constitution.”
“The Supreme Court should not be deciding gay marriage. If this country wanted to legalize gay marriage or recognize it, what you would do is you would have a Constitutional amendment. It’s supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to be hard for a reason,” he said. “Frankly, the Supreme Court just squinting and making up so-called rights in the Constitution—the right to privacy that was for abortion, the right to gay marriage—I disagree with that.”
Masters then pivoted to Thiel’s wedding for a real-world example, saying “I wish him well,” while in the next breath declaring that Thiel’s marriage should be against the law.
“My, you know, former boss and mentor Peter Thiel is gay. I went to his wedding like, you know, I’m—it was great, I wish him well. I don’t think the Supreme Court should have decided that case that way,” Masters said. He added that while he doesn’t think gay marriage is “the live issue right now,” he believes “marriage is between a man and a woman.”
Although same-sex marriage may not have been a “live issue” at the time of that event, it certainly grew into one three months later, when the public got a preview of what last week became the momentous Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
That controversial ruling hung on a due process issue, and the court ultimately kicked the decision back to the individual states. But Roe isn’t the only precedent established on those grounds; other major decisions share a similar legal structure, including Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that secured the right for gay people to get married.
The implications were not lost on the court. The court’s three liberal justices—Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor—raised a warning in their dissent that Obergefell could be next, along with protections for contraceptives and sexual activity generally.
While the majority of the SCOTUS conservatives parried those concerns, Justice Clarence Thomas stated plainly in his opinion that the Court “should reconsider” all similar due process precedents, calling Obergefell out by name.
Masters also called the case out by name, saying that while he had “a lot of problems” with Chief Justice John Roberts, he aligned with Roberts’ “pretty good dissent.”
That’s because marriage, Masters said, “has a point.”
“Marriage is an institution that goes back thousands of years, and it has a point. The point is procreation and creating children,” Masters said.
Thiel’s marriage, in Masters’ view, would seem to have no point.
It’s unclear how this squares with the “great” wedding Masters attended between Thiel and his now husband, Matt Danzeisen.
Thiel, PayPal co-founder and an early Facebook investor, got hitched after Obergefell, though the longtime couple didn’t hold the ceremony in the United States. They instead invited guests to Vienna, Austria, under the aegis of the venture capitalist’s 50th birthday celebration, and surprised them with the wedding. (Location did not matter; there was no overseas loophole when it came to the federal rights extended in Obergefell.)
At the time, Masters was CFO of Thiel Capital Management, making him a colleague not just of Thiel, but also of Danzeisen, who worked there as a portfolio manager. Thiel had taken Masters under his wing a decade ago, and last year poured $10 million into backing the candidacy of his protege—who frequently plugged his then boss’ technology on the campaign trail.
Masters eventually resigned from Thiel Capital this spring amid ethical concerns. He scored former President Donald Trump’s endorsement earlier this month.
But even with Trump out of office, LGBTQ rights are under attack from conservatives across the country. With Democrats controlling the federal legislative and executive branches, the action has been confined at the state level—something Masters would like to change.
So far this year, more than 250 anti-LGBTQ bills have been put forward in 37 states, according to the legislation tracker kept by Freedom For All Americans and the Human Rights Campaign.
Anti-transgender extremism has escalated to the point where parents of transgender children fear for their safety, and the resurgence of archaic homophobic rhetoric around “groomers” and pedophiles—fueled by Republican leaders and conservative media—has stirred anxiety in the LGBTQ community about looming politically motivated violence.
In November, GOP leaders torched Republican National Committee chair Ronna Romney McDaniel for expressing support for gay Republicans at a Mar-a-Lago gala—even calling for her resignation.
Critics say that these developments, like Masters’ comments, show that the Republican Party is winding back the clock. However, when it comes to gay marriage, the GOP’s clock has been stuck in 2016, when the official party platform defined “natural marriage” as between “a man and a woman.”
Because the GOP declined to write a new platform in 2020, the current platform, which will carry through at least the 2024 election, is identical to the one from 2016—the year after Obergefell.
The libertarian Thiel actually spoke at the 2016 convention just a few minutes before Trump took the stage, declaring, “I am proud to be gay.”
“We are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom,” Thiel said, referencing a controversy over new anti-transgender laws brewing in conservative states.
“This is a distraction from our real problems,” he said. “Who cares?”
T.V.
Arizona Senate Republican Primary Poll
+- Changes from Trafalgar's April Poll Blake Masters 28.9% (+9.5) Mark Brnovich 23.7% (-0.2) Jim Lamon 17.2% (-7.6) Michael McGuire 4.4% (-3.8) Justin Olson 4% (+0.9)@trafalgar_group / June 7-9 / 1,077 LV pic.twitter.com/RZ0ivo1qjW
llinois Congresswoman Mary Miller made an absolutely shocking remark at Trump’s rally in Illinois, proudly stating that the end of Roe v. Wade was a “historic victory for white life.” But this racist and horrific statement is only scratching the surface.
What I do not understand is why the white racist think this is going to help them? Really wealthy or reasonably OK white women are going to be able to go out of the state to another state and get an abortion. Poor white women and black women will be the ones forced to have unwanted babies. Based on demographics that show that black people because of the history of the US tend to be lower income, there will be more black babies born. So how does this help the white race? Unless the next goal will be to remove citizenship from people of color. Sorry actually before they can do that, they need to get rid of Loving vs Virginia. Can’t allow the mixing of the races. Hugs
In Florida, where residents in a half-dozen relatively liberal urban counties are continually locked in political duels with the conservatives who dominate much of the rest of the state, the debate over abortion rights is just getting started. IHow accessible abortion will remain in Florida could hinge on how DeSantis plays his competing political ambitions and the winds of the November election.
Some Florida antiabortion activists say they expect DeSantis, who is widely mentioned as a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2024, to push for additional restrictions or an outright ban on the procedure — a nod to his core base here and primary voters nationwide. But he could still face a competitive reelection for governor this fall in a state where he also needs to appeal to more moderate voices. DeSantis describes himself as an abortion opponent, but he rarely talks about the issue publicly.
Calling Friday’s Supreme Court ruling ending 50 years of law under Roe v. Wade an attack on women and freedom, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist said Friday that abortion rights are on the line in the gubernatorial election.
The leading Democratic candidate in the 2022 contest restated his vow to support abortion rights and said that will be a pivotal issue in the 2022 election against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Without these protections, Governors like Ron DeSantis will try to outlaw abortion completely,” Crist said of Friday’s Supreme Court decision handed down in the landmark abortion case.
Hey MAGA! Abortion is still legal in Florida. Do you know why? Because Ron Desantis prioritized ‘Don’t Say Gay’ and CRT over taking up abortion during the last session. So every abortion that happens in FL in 2022 is because of Ron Desantis. You’re welcome.
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) June 25, 2022
FL is the most pro-choice state in the South. FL deserves to know whether Ron Desantis will outlaw abortion next year if re-elected. Will he continue to cater to a national pro-life MAGA base, or will he listen to Floridians? He has never said exactly what he would do on this.
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) June 25, 2022
It’s especially important for MEN to speak out against abortion bans and in favor of abortion rights.
In Florida, abortion is still legal, but these rights are not guaranteed. We have to fight to defend them!
Florida's 15-week abortion ban could emerge as one of the more flexible in the South; all eyes are on whether DeSantis and the state legislature will move to tighten restrictions here. @timcraigpost reports: https://t.co/R21WJHfrpU
The obnoxious things that get the most emphasis from Maher and generates the most energy from the audience (woke-ism is bad, AOC is bad) outweigh anything helpful (let’s take a good, hard, honest look at how that intensely blue district in Texas flipped, and let’s figure out how we can get Latin/Hispanic communities back). And the unhelpful shit is right out of Republican talking points…which exposes Maher’s conceit that Maher is a neutral guy “just looking at both sides.”
Bullshit.
And, I suppose, to be fair, the obnoxious stuff gets easier laugh than the heavy stuff. It’s *hard* to get laughs out of serious political stuff. I guess, in that regard, Maher exposes the limits to Maher’s talents. Maher is no John Stewart, George Carlin, Trevor Noah. Maher’s “wisdom” is phony.
An off-duty Rhode Island police officer who was running for state Senate was arrested on an assault charge after allegedly attacking his female opponent during an abortion rights protest Friday night.
Providence police patrolman Jeann Lugo, 35, was arrested on charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct, state police said Saturday night. Lugo turned himself in, was arraigned and released, it said.
Jennifer Rourke, who is running for the state’s 29th District, said she had finished speaking at a rally outside the state house in Providence on Friday when she was attacked by Lugo.
I'm a reproductive rights organizer & State Senate candidate. Last night, after speaking at our Roe rally, my Republican opponent – a police officer – violently attacked me.
I laugh at the use of the term “alleged” when there’s video of the crime. We know he did it. The only question is whether or not there’s any accountability for violent right wingers.
Rep. Mary Miller during a Saturday rally praised former President Donald Trump for his three conservative Supreme Court appointments and remarked that he paved the way for “the historic victory for white life” after the high court overturned Roe v. Wade.
While speaking to the pro-Trump audience, the Illinois Republican lauded the former president, who is backing her in the 15th congressional district GOP primary over fellow Rep. Rodney Davis. “Thank you so much, President Trump. I am so honored to have your endorsement,” Miller said.
She continued: “President Trump, on behalf of all the MAGA patriots in America, I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday.”
Just days after taking office in January 2021, Miller was facing calls for her resignation after she cited Adolf Hitler in a speech to a conservative women’s group in referring to the political indoctrination of youths.
“Each generation has the responsibility to teach and train the next generation. You know, if we win a few elections, we’re still going to be losing unless we win the hearts and minds of our children. This is the battle. Hitler was right on one thing. He said, whoever has the youth has the future,” she said.
Miller eventually apologized and said she regretted using the reference to the mastermind of the Nazi Holocaust while she also blamed others for “intentionally trying to twist my words.”
Miller: President Trump… I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday pic.twitter.com/RqxmbT8jx5
I generously said that Republican Mary Miller’s speech contained a Freudian slip when she said ‘victory for white life’. Was is it a Freudian slip though, was it? Watch this… pic.twitter.com/WHJs8IvMB9
The lasting legacy of Trumpism is the permission Trump gave his followers to say all the quiet parts out loud and never ever experience shame in doing so.
But in order for that scheme to work, they will necessarily also have to bring back the anti-miscegenation laws, because lots of white women nowadays are having mixed-race babies with non-white partners. So it looks like Loving v. Virginia might be next on the chopping block after all. Oops, sorry, Clarence and Ginni.
They either remain fixed in the belief that civil rights is a zero sum game, that if someone else were to become a majority in future then it must be a case that as the new minority they must be oppressed. Or, recognising just what white people have done over the past few hundred years, the racists of today imagine a reckoning is coming.
Rich white women will find a way to have abortions. Overturning Roe disproportionately affects women of color. She is so consumed by raw bigotry that she doesn’t realize the Supreme Court’s decision will probably result in more children of color, not more white babies. She is a hateful racist, fool and typical Trump supporter.
Scottie's Playtime 