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Arizona Rep: Gay Son Hasn't Changed View On Same-Sex Marriage

In a weekend interview, Rep. Matt Salmon, a Republican of Arizona, told a local news station that his openly gay son has not changed his position on same-sex marriage.

As you might recall, it was big news when another Republican, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, said his son's homosexuality inspired him to change his position on same-sex marriage.

In the interview, Salmon said that his son "is by far one of the most important people in my life. I love him more than I can say. It doesn't mean that I don't have respect, it doesn't mean that I don't sympathize with some of the issues. It just means I haven't evolved to that stage."

The Washington Post had more detail on Salmon's history on same-sex marriage:

"Salmon voted for the Defense of Marriage Act and for a ban on gay adoptions in Washington, D.C. His wife, Nancy Salmon, led the Arizona chapter of the group United Families International during an unsuccessful 2006 fight to ban gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships in the state constitution. (A narrower marriage amendment was passed two years later)."

The Post also reports that Salmon's son, also named Matt Salmon, leads the Arizona Log Cabin Republicans, a pro-gay rights GOP group.

The issue of same-sex marriage, as well as its supporters and opponents, has been front-page news since the Supreme Court heard two cases on the issue last week.

A decision by the court is expected in June.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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