Towleroad is reporting that Steve Schmidt, former advisor to Republican presidential candidate John McCain, will be urging the GOP to support same-gender marriage.
Update: HuffPo has good post of Schmidt’s speech – religion will kill the GOP!
In an excerpt from Schmidt’s speech to Log Cabin Republicans, Schmidt makes a strong case for conservative support of same-gender marriage:
“There is a sound conservative argument to be made for same-sex marriage. I believe conservatives, more than liberals, insist that rights come with responsibilities. No other exercise of one’s liberty comes with greater responsibilities than marriage…It cannot be argued that marriage between people of the same sex is un American or threatens the rights of others. On the contrary, it seems to me that denying two consenting adults of the same sex the right to form a lawful union that is protected and respected by the state denies them two of the most basic natural rights affirmed in the preamble of our Declaration of Independence liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, I believe, gives the argument of same sex marriage proponents its moral force.”
With four states now performing same-gender marriages and other states like New Hampshire and New York leaning in that direction, perhaps support from Schmidt as well as McCain’s daughter Meghan will provide the tipping point we need on this issue.
It’s just a matter of time before same-gender marriage is legal in all 50 states!
Founder of Motley Mystic and the Jubilee! Circle interfaith spiritual community In Columbia, S.C., Candace Chellew (she/her) is the author of Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians (Jossey-Bass, 2008). Founder and Editor Emeritus of Whosoever, she earned her masters of theological studies at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, was ordained by Gentle Spirit Christian Church in December 2003, and trained as a spiritual director through the Omega Point program of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. She is also a musician and animal lover.