AEFR Advisory Board member and CNN contributor, Margaret Hoover, discusses the GOP shift on marriage for gay and lesbian couples:
Constitutional conservatives point to the role of the courts in protecting fundamental rights. They argue that marriage is such a right, enshrined in the constitution, and one that cannot be subject to the whims or tyranny of a majority of voters, even if they were to wish to limit the freedoms of gay and lesbians. More and more Republicans are recognizing and respecting the essential dignity of individuals who are gay and deserve the full rights of citizenship, just like their straight brothers and sisters.
These are the messages that last November brought Republicans and independents to the voting booth in Maryland, Maine and Washington, where same-sex marriage was approved for the first time by voters, not courts or legislatures. Minnesotans, who rejected a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in November, are now poised to legalize marriage this legislative season, with the historic distinction of bipartisan support: Republican State Sen. Branden Petersen is a co-sponsor of the bill.
