Another Republican for Gay Marriage

Mark Kirk, an Illinois senator, suffered a severe stroke shortly after he was elected to Congress in 2010 and this experience, he claims, changed him. “Our time on this earth is limited, I know that better than most,” Kirk told the BBC. “Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back — government has no place in the middle.”

Senator Kirk returned to the Capitol in January of this year after his convalescence. While climbing the stairs to the building, he says, he promised himself he’d return to the Senate “with an open mind and greater respect for others.” He asserts that same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage.

The U.S. Supreme Court examined two important issues concerning the rights of gays and lesbians last week — petitions demanding the abolition of the ban on same-sex marriages in California, and the regulations within federal law that reserve certain tax privileges exclusively for marriages between a man and a woman. Rulings in these cases will be issued in June.

Conservatives Must Go Mainstream

Recent public opinion polls have shown that the number of Americans inclined to grant homosexuals the right to marry is growing. Politicians are trying to keep up with these changes in society. They’re aware that advocating for homosexual rights is no longer a controversial issue for a large number of voters, but quite the contrary. It is frequently said that the party of “white, heterosexual men” will inevitably be marginalized if it doesn’t change.

Kirk, who holds the same seat as a senator of Illinois that Barack Obama once did, is a Republican with moderate conservative views. He has already voted for allowing openly homosexual people to serve in the armed forces, and he actively participated in preparing the law that protects individuals against discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation.

Senator Portman: I’ve Changed My Mind Because My Son is Gay

At the same time that Kirk delivered his statement, the state that elected him to office — the tenth state in the U.S. — was getting ready to grant homosexuals the right to marry.

Not more than three weeks ago, America was shocked by ultra-conservative Republican Senator Rob Portman’s confession. He invited a CNN journalist to his office to disclose: “I’m announcing today a change of heart on an issue that a lot of people feel strongly about that has to do with gay couples’ opportunity to marry.” The Ohio senator offered a personal revelation: “I think this is something that we should allow people to do, to get married, and to have the joy and stability of marriage that I’ve had for over 26 years. That I want all of my children to have, including our son, who is gay.”

The vast majority of Republican senators are still openly against gay marriage. Rich, ultra-conservative families such as the DeVoses are traditionally associated with the Republican Party. The founders of the Amway Corporation — a company that sells household detergents and cosmetics door-to-door — have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the anti-gay movement. Doug DeVos, co-founder and president of Amway, was asked by journalists last year to define his attitude toward homosexuals. He replied: “When HIV first came out, President Reagan formed a commission and I was honored to be on that commission. I listened to 300 witnesses tell us that it was everybody else’s fault but their own. […] Conduct yourself properly!”*

*Editor’s note: This quote is attributed to the wrong individual in the original article. Rich DeVos, not Doug DeVos, made this statement.