Speaking at an event sponsored by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said that he didn't think President Obama's views on marriage "could get any gayer."
The remarks, which were posted in a video to the website The Iowa Republican, drew laughs from the crowd. "Call me cynical," he said, "but I wasn't sure his views on marriage could get any gayer.”
Though Paul’s comment elicited laughs from the crowd, not everyone thinks same-sex marriage is a joke. Most notably, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday that same-sex marriage isn't "something to poke fun at other people about," chastising Paul for his joke.
"I don't think it's a laughing matter," he said. "We are talking about individuals who feel very strongly one way or the other, and I think we should be civil, respectful, allowing all sides to have the debate."
In his speech, Paul drove home the idea of reinforcing a traditional family, saying that "the family is a really important thing" and it was necessary to defend it to "save the Republic."
The remarks come at the end of a week in which same-sex marriage defined the conversation, after President Obama's historic declaration on Tuesday that he supports same-sex marriage.