Rob Portman, a U. S. Senator from Ohio has recently come out in support of gay marriage after his son comes out of the closet. Portman, a Republican and once-front runner for the vice presidential gig under Mitt Romney, once stood staunchly against the notion of gay marriage, but after seeing his son’s bravery in coming out of the closet, Portman has decided that he has “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.”
The Senator goes on to acknowledge that this wasn’t always his feeling. “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,” Portman wrote online.
Portman went on to expound upon the notion that gay married couples should receive the same federal benefits allowed in each state where gay marriage is legal. "Senator Portman's evolution on this issue highlights how personal it is for Americans, whether they're the junior senator from Ohio or your next-door neighbor, all Americans have a gay friend, colleague or family member,” said Gregory T. Angelo, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative gay-rights group, adding “and understand them to be as deserving as their straight counterparts of the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that are the promise of the United States."
