Jon Huntsman Jr. urg nservativ to support gay marriage |

Contents:

• JON HUNTSMAN BACKS GAY MARRIAGE
• JON HUNTSMAN BACKS GAY MARRIAGE, DCRIB AS A 'CONSERVATIVE CSE'
• HIGH-PROFILE POLICIANS WHO CHANGED THEIR POSNS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• FORMER GOP PRINTIAL NDIDATE HUNTSMAN BACKS GAY MARRIAGE
• THE GAY SHIFT
• JON HUNTSMAN JR. URG NSERVATIV TO SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE
• GAY MARRIAGE ADVOTE ABBY HUNTSMAN, DGHTER OF FORMER REPUBLIN PRINTIAL CONTENR JON HUNTSMAN, EYEG POLIL RUN? 'NEVER SAY NEVER'

JON HUNTSMAN BACKS GAY MARRIAGE

Former 2012 Republin printial ndidate Jon Huntsman announced his support for gay marriage Thursday, culmatg an evolutn of public ments on the issue. "He clarified that religns would not have to be forced to regnize gay marriag, but all Amerins should be treated equally unr the law.

Huntsman's support as many elected members of the Republin party cle to show support for gays and lbians, spe the fact that more senr figur like former Vice Print Dick Cheney and former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman -- who me out as gay after leavg the post -- support gay marriage. There are no gay or lbian Republins Congrs, though there are several state legislatur. Huntsman, as Utah ernor, favored civil unns for gays and lbians, but stood agast gay marriage.

Huntsman has not shut the door on another bid for print You GoGay Marriage In The Uned StatPopular the Communy. "The Republin Party may not be there yet, but Huntsman is surely makg a bet now – that supportg gay marriage is the future of the GOP, " The Week rponse to Huntsman's recent claims, Ally Isom, a spokwoman for Utah Gov. Hillary Clton admted that the policy was no longer applible, and that openly homosexual service members should be allowed to serve the ary.

JON HUNTSMAN BACKS GAY MARRIAGE, DCRIB AS A 'CONSERVATIVE CSE'

Rob Portman text: Rob Portman, R-Oh, was once on the short-list of Mt Romney's 2012 nng mat and opposed gay marriage legislatn. Portman reversed his nservative stance Thursday light of his own son's beg gay. Rob Portman's reversal on gay marriage.

HIGH-PROFILE POLICIANS WHO CHANGED THEIR POSNS ON GAY MARRIAGE

Quicklist:3tle:Dick Cheneytext:In 2004, former Vice Print Dick Cheney publicly voiced his supportive stance for gay marriage equaly at var pots on the 2004 re-electn mpaign trail. Bh, who opposed gay marriage and set the admistratn's policy on the Cheney did not actively lobby for same-sex marriage as vice News' Jonathan Karl asked Cheney July whether he wished he had more actively lobbied for same-sex marriage. "Cheney said he do not thk gay marriage should be a relevant issue printial Bin text:Vice Print Joe Bin beme the send nsecutive vice print to voice public support for gay marriage, beatg Print Obama to the May 2012, the vice print dited a changg policy on the issue wh the Obama Admistratn when he appeared on NBC's "Meet the Prs".

"I am absolutely fortable wh the fact that men marryg men, women marryg women and heterosexual men and women marryg one another are entled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberti, " Bin vice print's statement ed a flurry of rpons om both the media and the ernment bee the print set the tone for gay marriage policy. Print Obama also announced his support for gay marriage a few days later, even though he said Bin got "a ltle over his skis" on the Obama text:Six months before his send printial electn, Print Obama announced his support for gay marriage May 2012.

Print to publicly support gay marriage. Many believe the print's new stance helped galvanize support for his mpaign the fal months leadg up the 2012 electn, which he his send gural addrs, Print Obama cemented his posn on gay marriage for the duratn of his princy by lkg the gay marriage stggle to civil rights movements of the past.

FORMER GOP PRINTIAL NDIDATE HUNTSMAN BACKS GAY MARRIAGE

Huntsman officially reversed his opposn to gay marriage an op-ed piece the Amerin Conservative Febary the piece, Huntsman discsed how the Republin Party would benef om embracg gay marriage legislatn and how marriage should be a source of happs for all people. Huntsman has joed 76 Republins who signed on to the legal brief support of gay marriage the Supreme Court's upg lg on the Defense of Marriage Barrtext:Bob Barr led the legislative bate ncerng same-sex marriage by thorg and sponsorg the ntroversial Defense of Marriage Act, which was enacted act stated that stat would only ferally regnize marriag between men and women. Addnally, the act stated that stat had the optn of not regnizg same-sex marriag performed outsi of the stat where the uple the act was passed and enforced, Barr has officially rcd his ial posn on same-sex marriage and apologized for the portn of the legislatn preventg same-sex marriage regnn at the 2008 Libertarian supports the Rpect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage more about how the same-sex marriage bate has changed sce Cltontext:Former Print Bill Clton signed the Defense of Marriage Act to effect 1996, signalg a lack of support for gay marriage his admistratn's act ferally regnized marriag between men and women, not between homosexual upl.

The act also allowed dividual stat the optn of not regnizg same-sex marriag that were performed outsi of the stat where the uple signg DOMA, Clton signed "don't ask, don't tell, " a policy that allowed homosexuals servg the ary to keep their sexualy secret. Crics of the policy said Clton was not gog far enough preventg same-sex discrimatn, while the print's admistratn mataed that the act's purpose was to ter homosexual ary members om 1996 Clton told LGBT magaze, The Advote, that he was stnchly rooted his opposn for the legislatn. This has been my long-standg posn, and is not beg reviewed or nsired, " Clton after leavg the Oval Office, Clton voiced his official support of gay marriage 2009 durg an appearance at the Camp Progrs Natnal Conference Washgton.

He said that was wrong for people to stop homosexual upl om marryg, and that he supported stat' rights to ci their posns on the issue, rather than volvg the feral. REUTERS/Chris Keane(Rters) - Former Republin printial ndidate Jon Huntsman voiced support for gay marriage on Thursday, reversg his posn and urgg the Republin Party to be more supportive of gays and lbians who want to marry. Stat pl the District of Columbia have legalized gay marriage.

THE GAY SHIFT

Maryland was the most recent, wh gay marriage beg legal there on January 1. Huntsman backed civil unns for gays and lbians when he was ernor of Utah.

Orr Hatch, R-Utah, labelg same-sex marriage as said May that anybody who don't believe that "jt isn't livg the real world, " even though he disagre wh lgs favorg gay marriage bee of the erosn of relig people regnize where the issue is head, Huntsman said. "Huntsman, who backed civil unns for gay upl as ernor 2009 and same-sex marriage 2013, said the bate over the issue that is takg place both and out of the urts is still necsary.

Romney said he supported neher arrangement for gays but preferred civil unns if he had to choose; he was phed to weighg on the issue bee of his state's Supreme Court legalized gay marriage durg his term.

JON HUNTSMAN JR. URG NSERVATIV TO SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE

"It's tough to be a Republin printial ndidate and try to handle the gay issue. Romney was ught a trap of 's te that he never unambiguoly supported civil unns; he ran for ernor opposg both gay marriage and civil unns while favorg domtic partnership unns were a term of art ed to refer to the arrangements that Vermont's legislature had ma to ply wh a state supreme urt cisn of their own); the implitn, though, was what Romney's "domtic partnership" support was equivalent to a the support of civil unns, at least as a 2003, Massachetts's Supreme Judicial Court legalized gay marriage. Viewed ntext of what actually happened, 's more fense of Romney and others, though, the terra on gay rights has been shiftg so fast that most policians the middle have been ught out the ld -- both morate Republins who fd their "progrsivens" on gay issu is no longer so pellg to LGBT voters, and morate Democrats who fd themselv on the wrong si of a signal civil rights issue.

)Romney's tone on gay rights changed, as his iends and even members of his fay would e to notice. Early on, he didn't have a problem associatg himself wh gay equaly, part bee he faced no prsure om social nservativ.

One that prsure was felt, he tried to balance surface lls for tolerance wh his new crowd's outright opposn to homosexualy all the potential 2012 ndidat, Huntsman and Gov.

GAY MARRIAGE ADVOTE ABBY HUNTSMAN, DGHTER OF FORMER REPUBLIN PRINTIAL CONTENR JON HUNTSMAN, EYEG POLIL RUN? 'NEVER SAY NEVER'

Romney's urse, seems quat now, but pre-gay marriage Massachetts, the ia of grantg reciprol rights to same-sex upl was nsired progrsive for a Republin. Later, the issue of marriage equaly beme the se qua non of the gay rights movement -- thanks largely to the Massachetts Goodrich cisn. Jon Huntsman told reporters on his flyaround that he would not try e feral powers to block a law legalizg gay marriage New York, which may pass as soon as this week:.

A large pluraly -- maybe a majory -- of early Republin primary voters are viscerally unfortable wh homosexualy and view as a threat.

"Pro fay" groups have acced him of betrayg nservativ by embracg civil unns after mpaigng agast them 2004 when he ran for ernor and said he supported Utah's nstutnal amendment outlawg unns and marriage for gays.