John Kasich: Republicans need to move on from gay marriage debate
Republican Presidential hopeful John Kasich has urged the Republican Party to “move on” from opposing same-sex marriage – and says he would still love his daughters if they were gay.
Centre-ground Republicans are attempting a ‘clean break’ on equal marriage, at the party’s Jne conference tabling an amendment to the party’s platform that would strip all references to opposing same-sex marriage – though the party would remain opposed to any federal or state non-discrimination law protecting LGBT people,
Governor of Ohio John Kasich is the only moderate voice on LGBT rights remaining in the race for the Republican nomination, trailing evangelical hard-liner Ted Cruz and the far-right Donald Trump.
Mr Kasich spoke about his own former opposition to equal marriage in an MSNBC interview this week – and indicated that he and the party should move on.
Despite once fighting a legal battle against equal marriage, Mr Kasich came out against any attempt to re-ban weddings or pass anti-LGBT laws.
He said: “I support traditional marriage… but I’ve said the court has ruled, and it’s in place.
“What I’ve tried to argue is, everybody just take a breath and try to be more tolerant.”
Asked whether he is tolerant of same-sex weddings, he said: “Yeah… I went to one!
“I don’t think it’s right, and the wedding that I went to, they know that I don’t agree with them.”
But he added: “They should love one another. That’s the end of it… I’ve accepted the court ruling.
“There could be an effort to pass a Constitutional Amendment. I’m not for doing it. I’m for moving on.”
Asked what laws he would pass to balance the issue, he said: “Exactly where it is now, I’m fine with it.”
Notoriously anti-LGBT Republican Mike Huckabee previously warned: “If the party makes a substantial change on issues like life or marriage, it will be disastrous because whatever they think they gain, they’re wrong.
“What they will lose is an absolute — I think a flood tide of people will just give up on the GOP and say they’re not different than the Democrats.”
