Posted on 04/30/2013 5:33:37 PM PDT by markomalley
Former GOP vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., now supports the rights of gay Americans to adopt children, though he still believes marriage “is between a man and a woman.”
In a town hall meeting with constituents in Wisconsin on Monday, the House Budget Committee chairman said he has changed his mind on the adoption issue, even though his opinions on other aspects of gay rights have remained unchanged. To date, two Republican senators — Rob Portman of Ohio, who had been in the mix for Mitt Romney’s No. 2 spot, and Mark S. Kirk of Illinois — have come out in support of gay marriage.
“Adoption, I’d vote differently these days. That was I think a vote I took in my first term, 1999 or 2000. I do believe that if there are children who are orphans who do not have a loving person or couple, I think if a person wants to love and raise a child they ought to be able to do that. Period,” Ryan said in a video posted by the liberal website Think Progress. “I would vote that way. I do believe marriage is between a man and a woman, we just respectfully disagree on that issue.”
Ryan’s move to support gay adoption is a particularly interesting one, given his continued national ambitions and Portman’s reversal on gay marriage. Portman announced in March that his college-aged son, Will, is gay and that he could no longer oppose marriage equality.
In the past, Ryan has opposed almost every equality measure, getting a “0″ on the Human Rights Campaign’s most recent Congressional scorecard. He opposed the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” supported the Defense of Marriage Act and voted against the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Protection Act, which expanded federal hate crime laws to protect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
In his remarks Monday, Ryan said he has “always supported” civil unions. Though there is no evidence to support that, it’s a clear sign that the politics of the issue have changed and that even the most conservative Republicans need to appear more hospitable to gays and lesbians in order to expand their voting bloc.
“I’ve always supported things like civil unions where you ought to be granted certain legal privileges to be able to have benefits whether it’s estate planning benefits or visitation and things like that,” Ryan said.
But a story published by The Advocate, a gay and lesbian news magazine, when Romney named Ryan to his ticket, noted that Ryan supported a Wisconsin-based ban on gay marriage and civil unions in 2006.
“Reviews of Ryan’s record indicate that he has voted overwhelmingly against LGBT rights. He voted twice for the federal constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage, and supported the ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions approved by Wisconsin voters in 2006. Ryan voted against “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal and hate crimes legislation, but he voted for the Employment Non-discrimination Act in 2007, when it included protections for sexual orientation but not gender identity,” the report said.
God Knew!
What I meant by “our” was the GOP, not me personally. I refused to vote for the presidency in the last election and have been getting grief every since.
Like you, I refuse to vote RINO.
He is right about one thing—children need homes and unfortunately not enough couples are stepping up to adopt a child or open their homes to a foster child. One sure fire way to keep gays from adopting a child is to adopt that child yourself.
“I do believe that if there are children who are orphans who do not have a loving person or couple, I think if a person wants to love and raise a child they ought to be able to do that. Period,”
Not sure any right minded person would disagree with this.... IF the alternative was nothing, again IF the alternative was no loving parents at all.
Seems like folks want a reason to jump on Ryan or any “R” and then take it to the extreme.
Any surprise why it’s become so damned, downright IMPOSSIBLE to remotely trust anyone the GOP puts forward? Whether on amnesty, fag-marriage, budget cuts, or whatever, they turn out to be lying, worthless bastards, always ready to join the ruling-class elites in their left-wing agenda. Ready to backstab any conservatives at the drop of a hat.
My only message to Ryan: Go burn in hell, you degenerate son-of-a-bitch! Just go somewhere and die! After witnessing the whole repellent Romney-Ryan fiasco, my exclusive, lifelong support and vote for the GOP is absolutely over. The damned Party as it exists now makes me want to vomit! Unless in the unlikely event it takes a quick turn in the Palin/Cruz direction, I hope it chokes itself to oblivion!
And yet people still claim this would have been better than Obama doing the very same thing.
We were sold out folks. We need to not make that same mistake again by voting R because...well the dems are worse. Really? tell it to McCain Rubo and the rest who are doing EXACTLY what Obama does.
Only a politician could get half pregnant on a gay issue.
“And yet people still claim this would have been better than Obama doing the very same thing.”
So Norm you’re ok with Obama taking away your civil liberties. You’re ok with Obama and Holder flying drones and taking away your guns. You’re ok with ObamaCare.
Do really want to post that on FR ?
Adoption by homosexuals is worse than nothing, i.e., foster care or orphanage.
Does this require explanation?
He’s obviously evolving.
I think he should be excommunicated, just like any liberal.
You really want to claim the GOP did a damn thing to stop him on FR?
incrementalism. compromise. labeled as ‘progress’ or ‘evolving’ bs.
rationalization.
paul is on a slippery slope. how is gay adoption ok but not gay marriage?
If he had left it at that, fine. Giving his support to Two Daddies and Two Mommies parentage?? Are you agreeing with THAT??
Ryan is (was) a Catholic.
The position of the Catholic Church is that adoption of a child by a homosexual couple / person actually does violence to that child (and I'm not even talking about possible sexual abuse):
As experience has shown, the absence of sexual complementarity in these unions creates obstacles in the normal development of children who would be placed in the care of such persons. They would be deprived of the experience of either fatherhood or motherhood. Allowing children to be adopted by persons living in such unions would actually mean doing violence to these children, in the sense that their condition of dependency would be used to place them in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development.
But that's not how it works. Gays want to get in line for the same kids that married heterosexual couples want to adopt. No "discrimination," not even the kind that arises from what any sane person would call common sense.
This right-minded person disagrees.
And, this is just a week after Ryan appeared with Luis (La Raza) Gutierrez on stage for a pro-amnesty rally! Ryan was supposed to be the “solid” part of the Romney-Ryan ticket. I sometimes think my distrust of the GOP just cannot get any more intense than it is... but it continually does! The last four years have been mind-boggling.
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