To my surprise, Republican Ohio Senator Rob Portman just recently wrote an op-ed in the Columbus-Dispatch, where he took a stand for gay marriage rights. Prior to this, he's consistently publicly decried gays' rights to get married, however, as his op-ed showcases, the Republican Senator's perspective on the matter has evolved.
In the op-ed, Portman wrote:
"I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn't deny them the opportunity to get married.
This isn't how I've always felt. As a congressman, and more recently as a senator, I opposed marriage for same-sex couples. Then something happened that led me to think through my position in a much deeper way.
Two years ago, my son Will, then a college freshman, told my wife, Jane, and me that he is gay. He said he'd known for some time, and that his sexual orientation wasn't something he chose; it was simply a part of who he is. Jane and I were proud of him for his honesty and courage. We were surprised to learn he is gay but knew he was still the same person he'd always been. The only difference was that now we had a more complete picture of the son we love.
At the time, my position on marriage for same-sex couples was rooted in my faith tradition that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman. Knowing that my son is gay prompted me to consider the issue from another perspective: that of a dad who wants all three of his kids to lead happy, meaningful lives with the people they love, a blessing Jane and I have shared for 26 years."
As I've consistently criticized many members of the Republican Party for continually attempting to deny marriage rights to gay couples, I have to applaud Senator Portman for taking a stand on the issue. I may not agree with the man on much else, but especially in the face of such inevitable criticism from members of his own party, I have to applaud him for this.
I've read many liberals such as myself criticize Portman's op-ed, saying he should have been in favor of gay rights previously, and that it's sad his own son coming out was the only thing that could have prompted him to make a reversal on the issue. While I and many others whom have been supportive of gays' rights for a long period of time may not understand people like Portman and his contesting gays' rights for so long, he has finally evolved on the issue. Whether it be a son of his, a son of a best friend of his, or someone he talks to after a rally, the man has moved forward on the issue and like most liberals and a growing number of moderates, he too supports gay marriage rights. Portman isn't the only one to whom this has happened. For a lot of people, all it took was a family member or friend to come out to them and they went from indifferent or worse on the gay-marriage issue to becoming a strong supporter of it. Let's also not forget that President Barack Obama wasn't always a full supporter of gay rights. He too has evolved on the matter over time. We shouldn't treat the two men and their evolution on the issue any differently. While many liberals such as myself may not agree with Senator Portman on much else, like we did with President Obama, we should welcome him with open arms into the gay right's community. With the right voices in the Republican Party helping turn the tide in favor of gay rights, we'll have a much better chance of attaining equal rights for gays in this country. It'll likely take more than the Democrats in Congress and a Democratic President to help gays attain equal rights. It's going to take some members of the Republican Party like Rob Portman as well.
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/03/15/1724841/gop-senator-embraces-gay-marriage-after-his-son-comes-out/
In the op-ed, Portman wrote:
"I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn't deny them the opportunity to get married.
This isn't how I've always felt. As a congressman, and more recently as a senator, I opposed marriage for same-sex couples. Then something happened that led me to think through my position in a much deeper way.
Two years ago, my son Will, then a college freshman, told my wife, Jane, and me that he is gay. He said he'd known for some time, and that his sexual orientation wasn't something he chose; it was simply a part of who he is. Jane and I were proud of him for his honesty and courage. We were surprised to learn he is gay but knew he was still the same person he'd always been. The only difference was that now we had a more complete picture of the son we love.
At the time, my position on marriage for same-sex couples was rooted in my faith tradition that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman. Knowing that my son is gay prompted me to consider the issue from another perspective: that of a dad who wants all three of his kids to lead happy, meaningful lives with the people they love, a blessing Jane and I have shared for 26 years."
As I've consistently criticized many members of the Republican Party for continually attempting to deny marriage rights to gay couples, I have to applaud Senator Portman for taking a stand on the issue. I may not agree with the man on much else, but especially in the face of such inevitable criticism from members of his own party, I have to applaud him for this.
I've read many liberals such as myself criticize Portman's op-ed, saying he should have been in favor of gay rights previously, and that it's sad his own son coming out was the only thing that could have prompted him to make a reversal on the issue. While I and many others whom have been supportive of gays' rights for a long period of time may not understand people like Portman and his contesting gays' rights for so long, he has finally evolved on the issue. Whether it be a son of his, a son of a best friend of his, or someone he talks to after a rally, the man has moved forward on the issue and like most liberals and a growing number of moderates, he too supports gay marriage rights. Portman isn't the only one to whom this has happened. For a lot of people, all it took was a family member or friend to come out to them and they went from indifferent or worse on the gay-marriage issue to becoming a strong supporter of it. Let's also not forget that President Barack Obama wasn't always a full supporter of gay rights. He too has evolved on the matter over time. We shouldn't treat the two men and their evolution on the issue any differently. While many liberals such as myself may not agree with Senator Portman on much else, like we did with President Obama, we should welcome him with open arms into the gay right's community. With the right voices in the Republican Party helping turn the tide in favor of gay rights, we'll have a much better chance of attaining equal rights for gays in this country. It'll likely take more than the Democrats in Congress and a Democratic President to help gays attain equal rights. It's going to take some members of the Republican Party like Rob Portman as well.
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/03/15/1724841/gop-senator-embraces-gay-marriage-after-his-son-comes-out/
I didn't even know he was against gay rights. I heard something about him changing his mind earlier on the news. I respect that; way to go for him. Good for him
ReplyDeleteI just read that he's currently the only Republican Senator who has come out in favor of gay marriage rights. Unfortunately, he's already getting slammed for it by other Republican members of Congress, such as Kansas Representative Tim Huelskamp, as shown in this following article - http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/03/16/1729021/tim-huelskamp-marriage-equality/
ReplyDeleteI sent Senator Portman an e-mail yesterday thanking him for taking a stand in favor of gay marriage rights. If you're at all interested in doing the same, you can contact him here - https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form