Well I never thought I'd see this day. Former Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan has done a 180 on gay adoption! Back in 1999/2000 he voted against allowing gay couples to adopt children. But in a recent town hall-style meeting, he admitted he'd changed his mind. "Adoption, I'd vote differently these days."
Now before we throw a rainbow parade for Ryan, in the same breath, he restated his position that marriage should be between a man and a woman. But with the walls of homophobia crashing down around us, it's getting more politically unpopular to take a hard line against gay rights. And for politicians like Ryan, an easy first step out of the Pliocene Era is to talk about how gay rights affect children.
Here's how Ryan justified his position:
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. I would vote that way.
High-five, Ryan! Thanks for having compassion for the kids. Now ... maybe someday you could find it in your heart to have compassion for their parents, too. After all, making gay marriage legal will benefit those adopted kids even more.
Family leave policy: Domestic partners aren't protected by the same family leave laws that married couples are. What about if your kids get severely ill? What if your partner does?
Inheritance laws: Say one partner dies suddenly without a will. Making sure the remaining partner and children are taken care of is that much harder.
Separations: Sad but true, even gay couples split up. But if you're not married to begin with, sorting out custody can get even harder.
It's all about the kids, you guys! But hey, people like Paul Ryan will get there. This is just the thin edge of the wedge. He can't come out all gay guns a-blazing. He'll always be a step or two behind his constituents, because that's real leadership. (Wink.)
What do you think about Paul Ryan's change of heart?
Image via PaulRyan.house.gov