![Kerryx390_4](https://www.advocate.com/media-library/kerryx390-4.jpg?id=32714049&width=1200&height=876)
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Although some senators have called on President Obama to support marriage equality, Sen. John Kerry defended the president's right "to his own view, in his own time" in an op-ed this weekend.
"Marriage is deeply personal," Kerry wrote in TheBoston Globe. "Our positions are based on unique
combinations of reason, belief, and experience, not polling and
politics. Everyone is entitled to his own view, in his own time,
including the president."
The Massachusetts senator argued that "the example of thousands of gay marriages in Massachusetts ... pushed many of us along in our own journeys." Kerry describes his former support for civil unions over marriage as "an exercise in legalese."
As many will remember, the Massachusetts senator was repeatedly criticized during his Democratic presidential campaign for taking nuanced positions. Or, for the I-was-for-it-before-I-was-against-it logic that was repeated over and over in attack ads. On marriage equality, though, Kerry says politicians should be allowed to change their minds.
"We cannot afford to be imprisoned by politics that say your views are not allowed to grow as you gain knowledge and experience," he writes in the Globe. "There's nothing wrong with acknowledging you've changed your mind when your views have evolved. Don't we pride ourselves on learning by living?"
"These seven years of marriage equality in Massachusetts might as well have been 30 years: they erased decades of myths," writes Kerry. "It's hard for a lot of young people to even understand the controversy. For them, including my daughters, the right of gay Americans to marry has never been a question."
Now, Kerry says, "It's not about a word -- it's about equality under the law." The civil unions he once supported are no longer good enough. "When we grant a right to some citizens but deny it to others, we create a second, unequal class," he writes.
Last month The Advocate reported that a group of senators, including Al Franken, Jeff Merkley and Kirsten Gillibrand, have called for the president to support marriage equality, saying the time has come.
lucasgrindley
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Advancing equality during Disability Pride Month
July 22 2024 11:30 AM
Pete Buttigieg endorses Kamala Harris for president
July 21 2024 7:58 PM
How a Kamala Harris candidacy could supercharge Democrats’ message on abortion
July 21 2024 3:41 PM
Trending stories
Most Recent
Recommended Stories for You
Lucas Grindley
Lucas Grindley is VP and Editorial Director for Here Media, which is parent company to The Advocate. His Twitter account is filled with politics, Philip Glass appreciation, and adorable photos of his twin toddler daughters.
Lucas Grindley is VP and Editorial Director for Here Media, which is parent company to The Advocate. His Twitter account is filled with politics, Philip Glass appreciation, and adorable photos of his twin toddler daughters.