Portman was not selected as Romney’s running mate but he went on to become one of the key advisers in his campaign. Portman is the only Republican who has come out publicly to declare that he embraces gay marriages. This comes after President Obama also switched positions during his campaigns in 2012 to embrace gay marriages as well as the number of Americans embracing such unions gradually rising in numbers.
Portman explained that his son Will, a Yale student, came out to him and his wife Jane in 2011 about his sexual orientation which made his change his perspective on gay marriages. He added that as a father who loved his son, he wanted his son to have the same privileges as would his sister and brother as well as the chance to have a long lasting union similar to that which he has shared with his wife for over 26 years.
The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act was sponsored by Portman and the Supreme Court is currently reviewing it. Portman says that he is after the invalidation of certain parts of the Act, particularly the statement conveying that ‘marriage is between a man and a woman.’ However, he said that individual states should be given the right of deciding whether or not to allow such unions.
