​ eptember 27, 2015, 11:09 PM

CBS/AP​ S

Obama: Religious freedom 

no excuse to deny rights to 
others 

 
32​ P
​ hotos

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at a Democratic National Committee LGBT Gala at Gotham Hall in New York 
September 27, 2015. 

  

REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE 
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NEW YORK​ - Freedom of religion isn't reason enough to deny any American
their constitutional rights, President Barack Obama said Sunday as he addressed
members of the LGBT community, one of his major sources of political and
financial support.

Speaking at a Democratic Party fundraiser, Obama said it's important to

recognize that some parts of the country remain uncomfortable with same-sex
marriage and that it will take time for them to catch up to the majority of
Americans who support such unions.

But while Americans hold dear the constitutional right to practice their religion
free from government interference, he said that right can't be used to deny
constitutional rights to others.

Play​ ​VIDEO 

Kentucky clerk; "A whirlwind in the midst of a firestorm" 

"We affirm that we cherish our religious freedom and are profoundly respectful of
religious traditions," Obama said during remarks that were interrupted by
repeated applause and cheers. "But we also have to say clearly that our religious
freedom doesn't grant us the freedom to deny our fellow Americans their
constitutional rights."

"And that even as we are respectful and accommodating genuine concerns and
interests of religious institutions, we need to reject politicians who are supporting
new forms of discrimination as a way to scare up votes. That's not how we move
America forward," he added. That was an apparent reference to some of the
Republican presidential candidates.

Earlier this month, ​Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis​ spent several days in jail for
refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples despite a Supreme Court ruling
that made same-sex unions legal nationwide. Davis said such marriages violate
her Apostolic Christian faith.

Play​ ​VIDEO 

Kim Davis returns to work after 5 days in jail 

Since being released, the Rowan County clerk has allowed marriage licenses to be
issued, but only without her name and title. She also announced that she has left
the Democratic Party and ​become a Republican​.

CBS News Correspondent Jericka Duncan reported​ there are at least 13 counties
in three states where judges and clerks have turned away couples seeking
marriage licenses since June, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex
marriages.

Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in Obergefell v. Hodges, the legal case that led the
Supreme Court to do so, introduced Obama.

The president began by recalling for his supporters that "seven years ago, we
came together not just to elect a president, but to reaffirm our faith in that most
American of ideals: the notion that people, no matter where they come from ... or
who they love can change this country."
He noted that everyone in the U.S., regardless of sexual orientation, is protected
by a federal hate crimes law he signed in his first year as president, and that
federal contractors are barred from terminating employees for being gay.

Obama got some of his biggest cheers and loudest applause when he said "we live
in an America where 'don't ask, don't tell' is something that 'don't exist.'" Obama
lifted the Pentagon policy that barred gays and lesbians from serving openly in
the military.

"And tonight, thanks to the unbending sense of justice passed down through
generations of citizens who never gave up hope that we could bring this country
closer to our founding ideals ... we now live in America where our marriages are
equal as well," he said.

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rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.