March 17, 2013 | Sex & Society

Republican Senator recants homophobic policies

Republican Senator Rob Portman is no longer against gay marriage.

The Senator wrote an opinion piece this week for The Columbus Dispatch newspaper in which he explained that, after his son came out in 2011, he was forced to re-examine his position. It took two years of soul-searching for him to reach his new position on the issue.

“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,” Portman wrote. “That 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.”

The news shocked fellow Republicans who saw Portman as a social conservative through and through; he had even been one of the top candidates to become Mitt Romney's running mate in the last US Presidential elections. 

“Ultimately, for me, it came down to the Bible’s overarching themes of love and compassion and my belief that we are all children of God,” he said.

This makes him the first sitting GOP Senator to support gay marriage (and hopefully not the last).

In response to the article, his son, Will, tweeted: "especially proud of my dad today."

This is great news. But the fact it probably ruined Rick Santorum's day is what really makes this a real feel-good story.

Republican Senator Rob Portman changes stance on same-sex marriage after son comes out as gay [The Star]