title: Ted Cruz Grapples With Actress Ellen Page Over Religious Liberty, Gay Rights
authors: Cathy Burke
content: Cruz : `` Does that trouble you at all that you draw a moral equivalence between Christians in Jamaica and radical Islamic terrorists ? In ISIS they 're beheading children -- they 're not morally equivalent . Murder is murder is murder and it 's wrong , it 's wrong
  `` There is a difference between a community like Jamaica – they may have different standard , they may not be celebrating a gay pride parade , but they 're not murdering people – if they were murdering people it would be wrong . ''
  Page : `` A lot of gay people are getting killed in Jamaica . ''
  Cruz : `` But in Iran and ISIS , it is the governmental body that is executing them for being homosexual… ''
  Cruz : `` …and why does the Obama administration not stand against them ? ''
  Page : `` I do n't know , I would love to speak with Obama about it . ''
  Sen. Ted Cruz and actress Ellen Page locked horns in Iowa Friday , jousting over the issue of protecting religious liberty from gay rights activists.According to the Daily Caller , Page was on location for a Vice Media project when she asked the conservative GOP presidential candidate , `` what about the question about LGBT people being fired for being gay-trans ? `` `` Well , what we ’ re seeing right now , we ’ re seeing Bible-believing Christians being persecuted for living according to their faith , '' Cruz answered . `` You ’ re discriminating against LGBT people… Would you use that argument in segregation ? '' Page pressed.Cruz argues Christian business owners are being asked to violate their beliefs by providing services to those seeking same-sex weddings , the Wall Street Journal notes , while Page , who 's made public that she is a lesbian , counters that similar arguments once were used to deny services to racial minorities.According to the Des Moines Register , Page also asked Cruz about the persecution gays and lesbians face in other countries . And Cruz – apparently unaware he was arguing with the `` Juno '' and `` Inception '' actress – countered there was no moral equivalency between instances in Jamaica with those in the Middle East , where Islamic terrorists have persecuted Christians.The Register posted that part of the encounter : The face-off may have helped Cruz stand out from his Republican rivals , the Journal reports – allowing the Texas conservative senator to frame what he calls a conflict between religious beliefs and progressive activists .
content_original: Cruz: "Does that trouble you at all that you draw a moral equivalence between Christians in Jamaica and radical Islamic terrorists? In ISIS they're beheading children -- they're not morally equivalent. Murder is murder is murder and it's wrong, it's wrong
  
  across the board."
  
  
  
  "There is a difference between a community like Jamaica – they may have different standard, they may not be celebrating a gay pride parade, but they're not murdering people – if they were murdering people it would be wrong."
  
  
  
  Page: "A lot of gay people are getting killed in Jamaica."
  
  
  
  Cruz: "But in Iran and ISIS, it is the governmental body that is executing them for being homosexual…"
  
  
  
  Page: "Yeah, that's a whole other thing."
  
  
  
  Cruz: "…and why does the Obama administration not stand against them?"
  
  
  
  Page: "I don't know, I would love to speak with Obama about it."
  
  
  
  Cruz: "Well, great, then we're agreed on that."
  
  Sen. Ted Cruz and actress Ellen Page locked horns in Iowa Friday, jousting over the issue of protecting religious liberty from gay rights activists.According to the Daily Caller, Page was on location for a Vice Media project when she asked the conservative GOP presidential candidate, "what about the question about LGBT people being fired for being gay-trans?""Well, what we’re seeing right now, we’re seeing Bible-believing Christians being persecuted for living according to their faith," Cruz answered."You’re discriminating against LGBT people… Would you use that argument in segregation?" Page pressed.Cruz argues Christian business owners are being asked to violate their beliefs by providing services to those seeking same-sex weddings, the Wall Street Journal notes, while Page, who's made public that she is a lesbian, counters that similar arguments once were used to deny services to racial minorities.According to the Des Moines Register, Page also asked Cruz about the persecution gays and lesbians face in other countries. And Cruz – apparently unaware he was arguing with the "Juno" and "Inception" actress – countered there was no moral equivalency between instances in Jamaica with those in the Middle East, where Islamic terrorists have persecuted Christians.The Register posted that part of the encounter:The face-off may have helped Cruz stand out from his Republican rivals, the Journal reports – allowing the Texas conservative senator to frame what he calls a conflict between religious beliefs and progressive activists.