Dick Cheney Supports Legalizing Gay Marriage

Former Vice President Dick Cheney expressed his support for same sex marriage during a Q&A session at a National Press Club appearance yesterday, according to AP.

Cheney's youngest daughter Mary is a lesbian who had a son with her partner, Heather Poe. Mary gave birth to their son Samuel in 2007. Cheney stated that gay and lesbian couples should  'be free to enter into any kind of union they wish.'
While the former Vice President has been recognized for taking a more progressive position on the issue than president Obama has since the beginning of his presidency, Cheney did also specify that he endorses same-sex marriage as long as the issue is decided on a state by state basis rather than at the federal government level.

"Historically, the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level," Cheney said. "It has always been a state issue, and I think that is the way it ought to be handled, on a state-by-state basis."

But Cheney, who has long parted from his conservative ideology,  was making headlines during the 2000 presidential election when he then already endorsed same-sex marriage as a state by state issue. He also later shook the political scene when during the 2004 race he appeared to remain non-involved when then President George W. Bush supported a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex mariage.

Emerging as a leading critic of the Obama Administration, Cheney has certainly been more actively outspoken on the issue of gay and lesbian right to wed than president Obama who previously spoke in favor of civil unions rather than same sex marriage.

Cheney cited once again his personal experience as a factor influencing his decision to support gay marriage.
"As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay, and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family," he said.

Watch Dick Cheney's statement below: