Gee W. Bh on Gay Marriage, Immigratn, and Why Obama Kept His Terrorism Polici - ABC News

Contents:

• GEE H.W. BH: I HAVE 'MELLOWED' ON GAY MARRIAGE
• GEE W. BH'S FOTTEN GAY-RIGHTS HISTORY
• GEE H.W. BH OPPOSED GAY MARRIAGE, UNTIL HE WAS A WNS TO ONE
• GEE W. BH ON GAY MARRIAGE, IMMIGRATN, AND WHY OBAMA KEPT HIS TERRORISM POLICI

GEE H.W. BH: I HAVE 'MELLOWED' ON GAY MARRIAGE

" The AP remds that: "Bh was the Whe Hoe when gay marriage wasn't as big a polil issue as is today. Bh's] wife, Lra Bh, and their dghter Barbara Bh support gay marriage, as do [Gee 's] former vice print, Dick Cheney, whose dghter Mary Cheney is openly gay. They were honeymoong overseas and didn't immediately rpond to an email seekg ment marriage beme legal Mae was the Whe Hoe when gay marriage wasn't as big a polil issue as is today.

But his wife, Lra Bh, and their dghter Barbara Bh support gay marriage, as do his former vice print, Dick Cheney, whose dghter Mary Cheney is openly gay. In a speech June, he told the Fah & Freedom Coaln the natn needs to be supportive of non-tradnal Associated PrsRelated:Same-sex marriage supporters cheer 'Cralla moment'GOP fds self a tighter spot on gay marriage after lgsGay troops prep for September marriage spree. Bh utned agast cricizg gay upl, sayg an terview on "This Week" that you shouldn't cricize others "until you've examed your own heart.

" Bh had wad to the revalized same-sex marriage bate last week -- if only barely -- a ment to a reporter Zambia, who asked whether gay marriage nflicts wh Christian valu. "I meant 's very important for people not to be overly cril of someone else until you've examed your own heart, " Bh told story went on to note that "As print, Bh opposed gay marriage, and Republins phed ballot measur to ban at the state level. Meanwhile his vice print, Dick Cheney, opposed the nstutnal amendment to ban gay marriage that was a popular ia among social nservativ at the time.

GEE W. BH'S FOTTEN GAY-RIGHTS HISTORY

''As Republins seek to fd a new way forward the wake of the Supreme Court cisn strikg down DOMA, 's worth rellg that one equently discsed proposed path -- backg civil unns but not full marriage equaly -- would jt take the GOP back to where s succsful printial ndidate was , the more nservative ndidate who lost where Bh won, opposed both gay marriage and civil unns picture wh Bh was hardly one of straightforward support for gay unns, of urse.

At the same time, he benefed om an aggrsive state-by-state mpaign to turn out evangelil voters opposed to givg gay unns the same standg as heterosexual on. And tight rac, those voters -- who historilly have leaned heavily Republin -- may have tipped the now Bh, rponse to a journalist Zambia askg about whether gay marriage is agast Christian valu, said, "I shouldn't be takg a speck out of someone else's eye when I have a log my own. Bh opposed gay marriage, but then he beme the first print to be a wns at a same-sex weddg 2013.

The law required the Attorney General to llect data on crim mted bee of the victim’s race, relign, disabily, sexual orientatn, or ethnicy—but also specified that “the Amerin fay life is the foundatn of Amerin Society” and “nothg this Act shall be nsted, nor shall any funds appropriated to rry out the purpose of the Act be ed, to promote or enurage homosexualy. Bh never once mentned the word “gay” printial remarks, acrdg to a 2014 Human Rights Campaign (HRC) report.

GEE H.W. BH OPPOSED GAY MARRIAGE, UNTIL HE WAS A WNS TO ONE

While the issue of same-sex marriage was not a foc of LGBT+ activists at the time of Bh’s princy, The New York Tim reported that, gearg up for his 1988 mpaign, Bh said his d diary that Amerins “don’t want homosexual marriag dified.

Challenged to the Republin nomatn by former Reagan munitns director Pat Buchanan, who had lled AIDS “nature’s revenge on gay men, ” Bh felt the prsure to adopt more nservative posns on civil rights, fendg so-lled “fay valu. Thalsen posted a photo on her Facebook page of Bh signg the marriage marriage beme legal Mae the Associated Prs:"Bh was the Whe Hoe when gay marriage wasn't as big a polil issue as is today.

But his wife, Lra Bh, and their dghter Barbara Bh support gay marriage, as do his former vice print, Dick Cheney, whose dghter Mary Cheney is openly gay.... Bh's wife Lra Bh said she urged the print to drop the issue out of rpect for their gay issue of same-sex marriage is once aga a printial mpaign issue, given that the Supreme Court next month is expected to say whether or not gay upl have a nstutnal right to marry. He was gay and workg for a Republin and nvced was possible to be both at the same time.

GEE W. BH ON GAY MARRIAGE, IMMIGRATN, AND WHY OBAMA KEPT HIS TERRORISM POLICI

Like dozens of other gay lleagu the Bh Whe Hoe, many of them closeted, Leve had been sure that Bh himself was personally tolerant even if the GOP was not—and unfortable wh gay-bashg as a way to w electns. But this was also the print who had ma batg AIDS Ai a personal e (later, at Leve’s urgg, he would even rate the Whe Hoe North Porti wh a giant red ribbon to mark World AIDS Day), who had met wh prevly ostracized gay Republin lears and whose hard-le nservative vice print had an openly gay dghter. And bis, opposg gay marriage jt “wasn’t a centerpiece of the mpaign to date, ” Leve relled when we talked recently.

A few months later, one of his gay iends who had also worked the Whe Hoe sat down ont of Facebook and unted the Bh Whe Hoe staffers he knew to be gay. Alberto Gonzal, the former Bh Whe Hoe unsel and attorney general, for example, says he never knew dozens of gays had served on the Whe Hoe staff. Stt Evertz was Bh’s openly gay AIDS czar.

“I, of urse—jt by the law of statistics—knew that there were other gay people the Whe Hoe, ” he says. Evertz says Bh’s polil gu, Karl Rove, for a time would only give him clearance for public appearanc if he promised not to be billed as the first openly gay appotee a Republin admistratn.