The hypocrisy of U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin on denying job protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers leaves my head spinning.

First, Poliquin opposed a House amendment that would have allowed employers to not hire or to fire gay and lesbian workers simply on the basis of their sexual orientation.

Then he changed his vote to support the same amendment, which then passed by one vote (maybe his). When asked why he changed his vote, he tried to dodge the question by saying it wasn’t because of political pressure from Republican party bosses.

I worked in the U.S. Congress as a staff person for 24 years, and from my experience, there are only two reasons why a member of Congress changes their vote: Either they regret the first vote they cast or they are pressured by party leaders to do their bidding.

Either way, Poliquin came out against job protections for LGBT workers while insisting that he “abhor(s) discrimination in any form.” Really? Based upon this vote, where is the evidence to support this?

Poliquin should explain his vote-switching. But based on his voting behavior, can we trust what he says?

Gary Aldridge

Brunswick