Opponent of Gay Rights Becomes Lightning Rod After Son Comes Out

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman’s expertise has fallen more into the areas of budgets and tax policy in the past.

But when he dropped his opposition to gay marriage a little more than a year ago, the Ohio Republican became a lightning rod for the issue.

During a meeting with Dispatch editors yesterday, Portman acknowledged that there is a tension between religious freedom and individual freedoms.

“I think these are two great traditions for our country that provide tension but can and do coexist,” he said.

The change in stance came after Portman’s son, Will, revealed to the family that he is gay. And while Portman supports gay marriage, he also supports religious freedom.

“My position is if your church or your synagogue or your mosque doesn’t want to recognize or perform same-sex marriage, it doesn’t have to,” Portman said. “And yet I think it should be legal, and I don’t see that as inconsistent.”

Portman said the issue should be decided not by the courts — many of which have played a role in overturning state bans on same-sex marriage — but at the state level by voters.

“This makes me unpopular with some groups on both sides,” he said. “That’s the way that it will more naturally unfold if we allow it to, and I think it’s going to end up being more positive for the rights of my son and other gay and lesbian people.”

And while he is still in the minority in the Republican Party, Portman said he sees a change. He talked of meeting with a group of College Republicans from Ohio a couple of months ago and getting the overwhelming sense that the audience couldn’t understand why it was an issue because they support gay marriage.

“Those are the next generation of Republicans,” he said.

Portman, whose name has been mentioned as a potential candidate for president in 2016, would likely be the only Republican candidate who publicly supports gay marriage. As for his decision to run, Portman said he’s more focused representing Ohioans during the “frustrating times in Washington” and his role as the finance director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Portman also touched on other issues such as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, saying the Obama administration has been “speaking loudly and carrying no stick” when it comes to dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The U.S. should be tougher with Russia right now, Portman said, even while acknowledging that Americans have war fatigue. He said the U.S. should provide support not only in rhetoric to the Ukrainian people but also provide the defensive weapons they need, from body armor and training to anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons.

meverhart@dispatch.com

@meverhart26