Republican Paul Ryan has changed his tune on the issue of gay adoption. The former running mate to Mitt Romney was confronted by a constituent on Monday at a town hall meeting in Wisconsin. The audience member asked Paul Ryan about his 1999 vote banning gay couples from adopting children in Washington D.C.
The audience member pointed out Ryan's score of zero percent on the issue of gay rights from the Human Rights Campaign.
"I'd vote differently these days," Ryan told the audience. "That was I think a vote I took in my first term 1999 or 2000. 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. I do believe marriage is between a man and a woman, we just respectfully disagree on that issue."
While speaking at the town hall meeting Ryan also said he supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) a bill prohibiting employers from discriminating against potential employees based on their sexual orientation or gender.
"I do support that. I would vote the same way I voted last time," Ryan said. "Where this is going in law is going to be something to watch," Ryan later added in regards to the gay adoption issue.
"The question before the Supreme Court is whether that's constitutional or not constitutional," Ryan told the audience. "Then I think it will become more of a federalism issue, where states determine at stat level governments."
Unhappy with Paul Ryan's answer the audience member that asked the question said to him, "but my question was specifically why you believe gay and lesbian people should not be allowed to marry, other than just you believe it's between a man and a woman?"
"I've always supported things like civil unions," Ryan said. Hedging a little on the next part of his answer Ryan says, "I've always believed that in society there ought to be a high value placed on marriage as being between a man and a woman."
Paul Ryan sort of danced around the question his constituent asked. He never gave a clear reason as to why he does not support gay marriage. For most people that do not support same sex marriage or gay adoption the issue comes back to the Bible. That is not speaking for all who oppose gay marriage. The Bible and religion is just one possible reason.
Republican's in the US have been changing their stubborn view on certain civil issues, such as same sex marriage and now gay adoption.
According to the New York Times back in February a number of prominent Republicans singed a "legal brief arguing that gay people have a constitutional right to marry."
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