GOP members coming out for gay marriage

A recent article from gaypolitics.com highlighted notable Republicans who have publicly support marriage equality. Here is a list below:

• Cindy McCain, the wife of Sen. John McCain, is the latest high-profile Republican to declare support for marriage equality for gays and lesbians.  Meghan McCain, her daughter, has been a vocal supporter for more than a year.
  
• Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who, while he responds to the marriage question with the somewhat oblique “freedom means freedom for everybody,” has not challenged the understanding that he supports full marriage rights for gays and lesbians.
  
• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, who has moved on the issue since vetoing two marriage equality bills passed in the state legislature.  He opposed the repeal of Prop 8 and had this advice for those fighting to keep marriage equality in California: ”They should never give up. They should be on it and on it until they get it done.”
  
• Ted Olson, the former Solicitor General of the United States, who brought a federal case challenging the constitutionality of California’s Prop 8.  Olson penned a now-famous op-ed in Newsweek titled, “The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage.”
  
• Steve Schmidt, McCain’s chief strategist during his 2008 presidential run, who told the Washington Blade, “I’m personally supportive of [marriage] equality for gay couples and I believe that it will happen over time.”
  
• Maine gubernatorial candidate Peter Mills, a state senator who voted in favor of the state’s marriage equality bill.  ”It’s a state relationship.  What religious institutions choose to do is really very different and outside the realm of what the state should rightfully get involved in,” Mills said.  He was joined by GOP State Sen. Chris Rector in supporting the marriage bill that was overturned by a statewide ballot measure.
  
• Dede Scozzafava, the Republican nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2009 special election in New York’s 23rd congressional district, who was driven from the race by right-wing activists who opposed her stances on marriage and other issues.  She is a member of the New York State Assembly.
  
• San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, who tearfully announced his support for marriage equality while standing next to his lesbian daughter at a press conference.
  
• FOX News contributor Margaret Hoover, who announced her support for marriage equality January 15th in a FOXNews.com op-ed titled, “Why I’m Joining the Fight for Marriage Equality.”
  
• Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker not only supports marriage equality, he’s chosen an openly gay state senator as his running mate.
  
• Tom Campbell, a former member of Congress who’s now running for Senate in California.  Campbell authored an article in Reason magazine in 2008 urging Republicans to vote no on Prop 8.
  

This list may not be exhaustive, but let’s hope more join the ranks of fair-minded Republicans who support marriage equality soon.  We will be highlighting some of these people and their support throughout the week.