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| "Look traditional marriage must be protected. What? My son's gay? Never mind." |
Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman on Thursday announced he has reversed his longtime opposition to same-sex marriage after reconsidering the issue because his 21-year-old son, Will, is gay.
Portman said his son, a junior at Yale University, told him and his wife, Jane, that he's gay and "it was not a choice, it was who he is and that he had been that way since he could remember."
"It allowed me to think of this issue from a new perspective, and that's of a Dad who loves his son a lot and wants him to have the same opportunities that his brother and sister would have -- to have a relationship like Jane and I have had for over 26 years," Portman told reporters in an interview at his office.
Okay not to take anything away from this Senator's change of heart, but not everybody can be fortunate enough to have a gay son or daughter in their life, so perhaps he needs to explain to his more hard line party members that this is an issue of freedom, and that allowing these couples to get married will help preserve the institution of marriage, not destroy it.
By the way, for the record, I was for equality and gay rights well BEFORE I had a daughter who needed her Daddy to stand up for her.
Well, good on him for seeing the light. I don't care what it took, as long as he reversed his previous position. It takes a lot of courage to publicly admit a moral error.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I say. At least he did the right thing, for his son's sake.
DeleteWhatever it takes!
DeleteSame thing with Darth Cheney. The only reason he "supports" gays and same-sex marriage is because his daughter is gay and married with an adopted child - he has no choice. Otherwise he'd be at the front of the pack condemning them all to Hell.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was "how convenient". It's okay when a member of YOUR family is gay. The GOTP will deny people their rights (marriage equality, the right to choose, healthcare) until it affects their family. However, I am very pleased with the way Portman is handling this. With him publicly state his views, it will help the next neanderthal make that leap into the 21st Century. And we now know Portman will NOT be running in 2016.
ReplyDeleteAnd here's another one...it's in the family seems to be the trump card that blurs the lines between right and left, conservative and liberal...if it's a real, honest to god person in front of their eyes, rather that some distant idea of somebody's sexuality, THEN it's acceptable. When it's personal, the bigotry drops away.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm cynical about this, but how convenient that Portman reverses his thinking after he's destroyed people's lives with his stance and votes on gay issues. I give him credit for taking his head out of his ass, but I'd like to hear A LOT more about his rethinking of past impacts he's had on the gay community in Ohio and elsewhere.
And then we have the Rick Santorum/Newt Gingrich bankroller who dropped MILLIONS on their campaigns.
Republican Mega-Donor Foster Friess Urges Moderate Path On Gay Rights
“My number one issue is: How do we support them and rally behind the gay community to make sure it's safe for them, just, to live?” he said of international dangers.
The mega-donor Foster Friess is best known as the moneyman behind Rick Santorum's socially conservative presidential campaign, the self-described born-again Christian takes a far more moderate position than his candidate on gay issues — because, he said, of a personal connection, his gay brother-in-law.
"When you talk about the party, that's the problem because there isn't any unified message," Friess said of the Republican Party's position on gay issues Thursday in an interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday. "You've got people who are gay-bashers, who forget that these are human beings that need love just like all of us need love. We have to be sensitive to that."
As with many conservatives who profess a level of support for gay rights, Friess first focused on the international scene for his attention.
"I've said before, the number one thing that we have to work on is protecting the gay community from sharia law. Now, in the United States, it's probably not a big issue right now, but my brother-in-law is gay and his partner and I would like them to be able to travel any place in the world without them risking harm," Friess said. "In Iran, they basically hang them or behead them. So, my number one issue is: How do we support them and rally behind the gay community to make sure it's safe for them, just, to live?"
more
http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/republican-mega-donor-foster-friess-urges-moderate-path-on-g
Oh I hear ya gyph.
ReplyDeleteKids. They can h.a.n.g.
Crazy kweeel be able to step up to the plate!
Sarah Palin is against Gay marriage but when it turns out that Bristol can't find a trial husband that's willing to stick around and she gets attracted to trial wives then we'll see Sarah change her thoughts.
ReplyDeletePortman’s Son ‘Especially Proud’ Of Dad After Gay Marriage Reversal
ReplyDeletehttp://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/portmans-son-especially-proud-of-dad-after-gay
Rob Portman commentary: Gay couples also deserve chance to get married
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.
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.
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.
I wrestled with how to reconcile my Christian faith with my desire for Will to have the same opportunities to pursue happiness and fulfillment as his brother and sister. Ultimately,
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2013/03/15/gay-couples-also-deserve-chance-to-get-married.html
This is just my opinion, but I hope that once another individual changes their opinion to one more consistent with our own, the hostilities should end. In other words, in a war of ideas, we need to accept winning gracefully, and allow the one who was holding a counter-position to join our side, gracefully and with open arms. There is no stronger advocate for a position than one who has changed their mind for the right reasons. gotland the love of a child, other family member or a friend, this is the strongest reason one can have. Let's support those who have changed their perspective so they can focus on accepting their loved one's sexuality and loving them unconditionally, just the way they are.
DeleteAnd let's accept the victory gracefully, by ending the battle with those who have joined our team. We win the war against bigotry one mind at a time. Then we have another partner to go onto battle with us. Let's allow others to learn and grow at a different pace. Once they realize that they have loved ones who are gay but have been afraid to tell them, they will have a personal stake in changing the perceptions of others.
If the son looks like his Old Man, I'll gay-marry him!
DeleteChristian Radio Knuckle-Dragger Bryan Fischer Rants Against Portman’s Gay Son, Likens Him To ‘Bank Robbers’
ReplyDeleteLet’s just think about that for a minute. Fischer believes two consenting adults engaged in homosexual activity is akin to people using coercive force against others at a bank. So… consensual adult relationship = violent crime? Wow. There’s no other word to describe this besides “moronic.”
But wait, there’s more. Fischer then went on to condemn Portman’s newfound “emotional” reasons for supporting same-sex marriage:
http://www.mediaite.com/online/christian-radio-knuckle-dragger-bryan-fischer-rants-against-portmans-gay-son-likens-him-to-bank-robbers/
Big Fail for Bryan Fischer FRC in loving their brothers and sisters. The christian Taliban are not Christ-like, by any definition. They're full of hate, bigotry, and insist on controlling others behavior through deceit and intimidation.
DeleteFRC is a joke, and there's no meat on that bone, just a little gristle. So they can keep it themselves, and either put it in their pocket or stick it up their ass for all I care. And I mean that in a good, christian way, bless their hearts.
Sen. Rob Portman On CNN: Supporting Gay Marriage Is ‘Consistent With My Political Philosophy’
ReplyDelete...“I would say that, you know, I’ve had a change of heart based on a personal experience,” he later added. “I hadn’t expected to be in this position. But I do think, having spent a lot of time thinking about it and working through this issue personally, that, you know, this is where I am for reasons that are consistent with my political philosophy. Including family values, including being a conservative who believes the family is a building block of society.”
With the Supreme Court considering the issue now, Portman said he knew there would be questions about his position, adding that it took him a little while to arrive at his position.
“I’m comfortable there now,” he said.
Take a look, via CNN:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/sen-rob-portman-on-cnn-supporting-gay-marriage-is-consistent-with-my-political-philosophy/
Portman said he and Jane were both surprised to learn that their son is gay, but he said they were “very supportive of him,” adding that they wanted Will to “know we were 100 percent supportive and we love him. He’s an amazing young man.”
ReplyDelete“If anything, I’m even more proud of the way he has handled the whole situation.”
Portman had to deal with his position on the issue just two months later, when a group of students at the University of Michigan Law School protested his selection as a graduation speaker because of what they called his “openly hostile” position on gay rights. According to local media reports, more than 100 students walked out of the ceremony because they disagreed with his opposition to gay marriage.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/03/15/portman-reverses-stance-on-gay-marriage-says-son-is-gay.html
Good for him. I don't doubt his sincerity.......but his timing is suspect regarding possible backlash among the Neanderthal caucus of the GOP.
ReplyDeleteSome in that party are finally awakening to the fact that until or unless the GOP reconciles the concept of civil liberty with the premise of limited government.....they are no better postured than the whigs.
Can you even imagine how hard it was for that young man to come out to his father?
ReplyDeleteSo now all we can hope for is that every republican has a family member that is gay, or in poverty,or unemployed, or a victim of gun violence to get them to feel the pain of those in need of help from the government. It's a sad commentary , and not what we ever want to wish on anyone, but it just proves the point that its all about them,not the people they serve, or the country at large. Republicans are pathetic-just watch five minutes of CPAC
ReplyDeleteLol! So true!
DeleteI'm happy that you finally changed your view but I hope you recognize the courage that your son must have had to come out to his father who is an United States Sentator who thought that his life was worth less than a straight male. I give your son credit for that--unfortunately, many people don't and hence the high suicide rate for young LGBT youth. Hopefully you can talk your colleagues into not funding the DOMA defense and end employment discrimination. Yeah, when it finally hits home...people get to thinking. Kudos to finally changing your views but also sad that you didn't believe this in the first place.
ReplyDeletePortman is not one of today's Repubs - He is measured and moderate, and decent. He was on top of the Ronmey short list for VP.
ReplyDeleteBut this certainly killed that, and we got Ryan, and thankfully, Obama.
And if he had a daughter impregnated by a rapist or carrying a fetus with a severe genetic disorder he would change his position on women's rights, at least privately he would. Reality has a way of interfering with dogma.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, but once the get it, they get it. Let's look to the future together, rather than focussing on the differences of the past. They're agreeing with us, do let's stop fighting against them and ask them to join us in changing the minds if others. Senator. Portman has a compelling story that will open the minds of those who still hold his former viewpoint.
DeleteAmen to that.
DeleteRob Portman is one of my senators. Thankfully the other one is Sherrod Brown. In the past, I have written to Sen. Portman stating my displeasure at his stance on LGBT and womens issues and have gotten back sanctimonious answers. Frankly, I seldom/never agree with his stance on anything. I was very happy with this change of heart. I wish he would have done it a long time ago. If you go to his FB page, you will find a huge number of really horrible remarks. I think this will mark the end of his Senatorial career. Ohio has no shortage of right wing idiots waiting to take his place.
ReplyDeleteI have to really admire his son for stepping up and being honest with his parents like this. It had to be very hard for him.
Does Portman have a daughter? If he does have one, I wonder how he feels about her reproductive freedom.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans don't care until it affects them or their family members. I'm glad he is supportive of his son but it still leaves me feeling angry that he never gave others the same consideration he gives his son.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great he changed his opinion, now it's time for some real Senators and Reps to come out of their own closet and say they want to marry their long time hidden lover.
ReplyDeleteJimmy LaSalvia, GOProud Leader At CPAC: 'I'm Embarrassed To Be A Republican Right Now'
ReplyDelete“I’m embarrassed to call myself a Republican right now,” Jimmy LaSaliva, co-founder and president of the gay conservative group GOProud, said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Thursday. The gay Republican was referring to GOProud’s exclusion from participation at CPAC for a second year in a row, banned as an official sponsor. LaSalvia attended CPAC as a guest of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a sponsor of CPAC which hosted a panel Thursday on which LaSaliva appeared, “A Rainbow on the Right: Growing the Coalition, Bringing Tolerance Out of the Closet.”
At the packed panel, attended by younger CPAC members, including quite a few conservative gays and lesbians, conservative commentators and activists on the panel who support marriage equality, including CNN pundit Margaret Hoover and Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, made the case for gay marriage as conservative value. Earlier in the day Senator Marco Rubio, criticized those who would call him a “bigot” for not supporting same-sex marriage, underscoring the tension the issue continues to cause among conservatives. (Scroll down to listen to the full interview)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/15/jimmy-lasalvia-goproud-cpac-republican-_n_2885256.html?utm_hp_ref=politics&ir=Politics
James Inhofe, GOP Senator, Stunned At CPAC Over Learning Of Rob Portman's Gay Marriage Support
ReplyDeleteAnti-gay GOP Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, a staunch opponent of gay marriage who once boasted on the floor of the Senate that he was “very proud” that there’s never been a “homosexual relationship in the recorded history of our family,” was stunned to learn that conservative GOP Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio reversed his position and announced today that he supports same-sex marriage after learning that his own son is gay. Inhofe was in fact so shocked that he could not respond to the news.
“I did not hear that,” Inhofe said, with a stunned look on his face, and pausing for a moment. “Again, I’m pretty surprised. I can’t really respond to that. It’s something I was not aware of until you mentioned it.” (Listen below)
When told of the news and that Portman has spoken out about his support for marriage equality on CNN, Inhofe had positive words for Portman, while still refusing to respond and chalking it up to a “personal thing” on Portman’s part.
Well, I...I think the world of Rob Portman,” he said. “He’s an intelligent guy. He’s always been conservative on all the issues. It sounds to me like a really personal thing in his life and I’d rather not respond.”
Listen to the interview with Inhofe below:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/15/james-inhofe-cpac-gay-marriage-rob-portman_n_2884724.html?ir=Politics&ref=topbar
Dad Saves Gay Son Trouble of Coming Out with Letter: 'I've Loved You Since You Were Born'
ReplyDeleteNate,
I overheard your phone conversation with Mike last night about your plans to come out to me. The only thing I need you to plan is to bring home OJ and bread after class. We are out, like you now.
I’ve known you were gay since you were six, I’ve love you since you were born.
- Dad
P.S. Your mom and I think you and Mike make a cute couple.
Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2013/03/dad-saves-gay-son-trouble-of-coming-out-with-letter-ive-loved-you-since-you-were-born.html#ixzz2Ndmil1yB
Members of Congress With Daughters Vote Better on Women's Issues
ReplyDeleteResponding to Rob Portman's change of heart on gay marriage after he learned his son is gay, Anil Dash tweets:
Eventually one of these Republican congressmen is going to find out his daughter is a woman, and then we're all set.
Actually, this does make a difference. Remember this chart, showing how members of Congress vote on women's issues?
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/03/members-congress-daughters-vote-better-womens-issues
I can only hope it doesn't take a Senator's daughter getting raped to change their minds about women's health.
DeleteRob Portman Completed A Dramatic 180-Degree Turn On Gay Marriage
ReplyDeleteRead more: http://www.businessinsider.com/politics#ixzz2Ndpnu04n
GOPers blast Portman for having gay son, “agreeing with sodomy”
ReplyDeletehttp://americablog.com/2013/03/gop-sen-portman-at-fault-for-having-gay-son-blasted-for-agreeing-with-sodomy-at-cpac.html
I wonder why rethugs can only find empathy for others when it comes into their own homes.
ReplyDeleteThen suddenly, they devlope heart, understanding and some kidness.
such sad people!
I wonder what future he'll have in what was once the GOP?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad he evolved, and it doesn't matter, but I would have been more impressed if it was some other parent of a gay person that was the catalyst.
Will we see him supporting PFLAG and other LGBT causes publicly?
I don't have a gay son or daughter but I support marriage equality. It's called empathy--something the GOP seems to take extraordinary pride in having none of.
ReplyDeleteWhile I completely support his son, I still think Portman is an oppportunist POS who only changed his mind because he used it.
ReplyDeleteAs relieved as I am for his son, I'm not so inclined to give Portman any applause for his change of heart. He was always a sanctimonious and outspoken opponent of equal rights for the LGBT community, and his recent behavior doesn't seem to have been affected that much by his son's revelation.
ReplyDeleteJust last year he actively opposed the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban firing someone who was gay, because it might result in litigation for employers. That was AFTER his son came out to him, so his change of heart seems to be limited only to what might specifically hurt his son. I'm assuming his son has not personally experienced workplace discrimination, so the rest of the LGBT community is out of luck according to Portman.
Seems his new-found empathy is extremely selective.
Don't Give Rob Portman a Free Pass
ReplyDeleteRob Portman is a good father for changing his view on this issue so that he may support the rights of his son. But the fact that he was only able to feel empathy for the plight of gay people in this country only after the issue directly affected him is definitive proof that he is an unfit politician.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-treadway/rob-portman-gay-marriage_b_2884639.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
Rick Santorum Unmoved By Rob Portman's Decision To Back Marriage Equality
ReplyDeleteHere's one more from the NowThisNews crew. Reporter Sara Kenigsberg caught up with Rick Santorum after he spoke before the CPAC audience today, and asked him about the recent news that Ohio Senator Rob Portman had come out for marriage equality, revealing that his son Will was gay. As you might suspect, it didn't move the needle for Santorum one whit:
"Well, I'm not changing my opinion on that issue. The bottom line is that marriage is a foundational institution of our society, and one to encourage for the benefit of our children and the future of our society. Marriage is a thing of nature. Men and women come together and form the bond by which to raise the next generation, and no other relationship -- you can call it 'marriage' -- but no other relationship accomplishes what real marriage accomplishes."
"If marriage is just two people loving each other, or three or four people loving each other, then you can call anything marriage," Santorum said, "But that's not what marriage is ... and just because people change their mind doesn't make it any less so."
http://huff.to/XOU117
Race-Baiting, Godlessness, and Elitists at GOP’s CPAC
Conservative conference is an annual reminder of GOP's image problem.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/race-baiting-godlessness-and-elitists-at-gop-s-cpac-20130315
Rob Portman Continued Casting Anti-Gay Votes Long After His Son Came Out
ReplyDelete...Portman is to be commended for taking the first step toward supporting marriage equality, but he is no hero or courageous. His son, however, is courageous because the primary reason the LGBT community is finally gaining acceptance as human beings is because when Americans learn a friend, relative, or co-worker is gay, they realize they deserve the same love, compassion, and equal rights Jesus Christ advocated for all human beings regardless which state they live in. Portman needs an epiphany to realize that without a ruling granting marriage equality unconditionally, his son will never “experience the joy and stability of marriage” regardless the state he resides.
http://www.politicususa.com/rob-portman-continued-casting-anti-gay-votes-long-son.html