Mary Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney has decided to take on Republicans who say they are in favor of family values but refuse to support the right of same-sex couples to marry.
In a column published Monday, Cheney wrote that 2016 GOP Presidential candidates are trying to see:
?Who can be the most stalwart defender of ?traditional marriage? ? who can most effectively stoke the unfounded fears of the far right.?
Cheney also made a point of saying that Republican candidates:
?Regularly throw around phrases like religious freedom and religious liberty, warn that marriage equality will lead to the criminalization of Christianity or the downfall of the American family, and fret that our nation’s very future is at risk.?Let’s be clear. The fight over marriage equality isn’t about religious freedom or the criminalization of Christianity.”
And perhaps most importantly, Cheney reminded the GOP that public attitudes about same-sex marriage continue to change in favor of allowing full equality for members of the LGBT community:
?Regardless of what the U.S. Supreme Court decides this term, the American Public is already on the side of marriage equality. Should the Court oppose the expansion of the freedom to marry to all fifty states, millions of Americans will be disappointed, but progress will continue to be made. It will just take a bit longer.?
For Republicans, Cheney wrote, it’s important that they remember the principles the party was founded on:
?The Republican Party has always claimed to be in favor of certain key principles including, support for individual liberty, personal responsibility and the belief that strong families are the corner stone of our society. This is exactly why more leaders of the party should embrace the idea of marriage equality.?
Cheney closed her column by shaming the GOP for their constant talk of family:
?For years I have listened while Republican candidates talked about the importance of family and the need for our country to support strong families. I wholeheartedly agree. We do need to support families, but that means supporting all families ? regardless of which state they live in, how they look or how they are made.?
But despite her eloquent plea to Republicans, does anyone really believe they will embrace the concept of marriage equality for all anytime soon, no matter how the Supreme Court rules? As far as the GOP has lurched to the right in recent years, that seems unlikely.
