We must make it clear that a platform of ’I hate gay men and women’ is not a way to become president of the United States.

In this remark, Carter frames overt anti-LGBTQ animus not merely as a moral failing but as a disqualifying basis for national leadership. The phrasing “we must make it clear” casts the issue as a civic responsibility: citizens, parties, and institutions should draw a bright line against campaigns built on hatred. By specifying “gay men and women,” he emphasizes the humanity of the targeted group and rejects their reduction to a political wedge. The quote also implies a standard for democratic legitimacy—presidential ambition should be pursued through policies and persuasion, not scapegoating and exclusion.