Programming Note .... And Then .... Good News Friday: The First GOP Congressperson To Back Marriage Equality

PROGRAMMING NOTE:

Carlos and I are off to Washington, DC, for the weekend to take part in the Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS” March on Washington. We have also been asked if we'd like to participate in filmmaker Jörg Fockele's documentary about the march, so I might have to get ready for my closeup and tame my usage of f-bombs!

That said, I have some preplanned posts to keep the space busy until Tuesday when new blogging will resume.

Have a lovely weekend, y'all, and now...........

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican congresswoman from Florida, has said she supports marriage equality, making her the first GOP member of Congress to hold that view. And they aren't just words. Ros-Lehtinen is also the only Republican co-sponsor of legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA], known as the Respect for Marriage Act.

And she also, confirmed on Tuesday she supports same-sex marriage after remarks she delivered at the launch of Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry at the Capitol Hill Club in D.C.

Now, there were some who said that supporting DOMA repeal isn’t the same thing as supporting marriage equality but Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's words are quite clear. When asked if she is supporting marriage equality, she said, simply, "Yeah, I am."

Michael Cole-Schwartz, of the Human Rights Campaign [HRC], commended Ros-Lehtinen for speaking out in favor of marriage equality: “Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is a champion in the fight for full LGBT equality. Her willingness to be a leader in the Republican Party on LGBT issues, including becoming the first Republican member of Congress to embrace marriage equality, is opening the way for other Republican officials to speak out.”

Still, the downside is that Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, while holding pro-LGBT views, has endorsed Mittsy Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee who has endorsed a U.S. constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and has pledged to resume defense of DOMA in court. Ros-Lehtinen said she backs Romney because of his positions on economic issues while acknowledging the two may hold differing positions on other issues.

 “Well, I support him because of his views on the business issues and the economy. There are a lot of issues in which I disagree with Mitt Romney, but there are a lot of issues in which I disagree with members of my family. But I love them all the same.”

Love them, sure, but support them? Still, I give Ileana Ros-Lehtinen props for being the first GOP Congressperson to speak out for equality.

via The Washington Blade