VIDEO: Former VP Dick Cheney Supports Marriage Equality at State Level!

"I think that freedom means freedom for everyone. As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay...I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they wish."

He doesn't believe it should be recognized at a federal level, but the fact he believes states should decide is a HUGE admittance from the former vice president.

This is better than President Obama's position against marriage equality, who only supports civil unions and has barely said a word about LGBT equality since taking office.

Wow, the irony! Maybe he's taking Meghan McCain's advice on steering the Republican Party back to relevancy.

VIDEO: Meghan McCain On the Colbert Report - Republican Party Can Be Safe for Gays

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Meghan McCain
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Most striking quote:

"I do believe the Republican party can be a safe place for the gay community. President Obama said he was going to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and I think me and a lot of people are still waiting for that. And the Democratic party isn’t necessarily a better place for the gay community than the Republican party is. And I think if you go to the basic beliefs of the Republican party, keeping government out of your life, why can’t that include marriage?

If the Republican party was able to ditch the extremists who are bringing them down, and they returned to their early principles, would you switch parties (if you're not already republican - hello Log Cabiners!)?

Are you equally frustrated with the Democrats? Some are so frustrated, they've called for a boycott of the Democratic National Committee LGBT Leadership Council fund raising dinner. I have to say, until I see some action from the Democrats, I'm agreeing with it.

Why should I give them my money only for them to turn around and say, "Gee, I wish you had equal rights too, but oh well, maybe next time." Times have changed. I'm not accepting empty platitudes as a reason to hand over the bucks from my already broken bank account.

If anything, we need to support Meghan McCain, because she's putting herself out on a limb for us. We need her at our rallies. We need her at our protests. We need her at our press conferences. We need to nurture that support. Because let me tell you folks, it's rare to hear such vocal support for our issues from a straight Republican.

Another Republican Leader Tells GOP to Back Off of Same-Sex Marriage

Yet another moderate Republican spoke at the Log Cabin Republican convention urging the GOP to get out of the marriage business. Who was it? Former New Jersey governor Christine Whitman.

"I am not saying to Christian conservatives, 'There is no place for you,'" she said. "I am saying, 'Please stop saying there is no place for us.'"

"The government should have no say about marriage, and the plank in the Republican Party platform that calls for preserving marriage between a man and a woman should be scrapped," CNSNews reported her as saying.

“Well, I am somebody who believes in the separation of church and state and that the government, frankly, ought to be out of the business of marriage entirely,” Whitman told CNSNews.com after her speech.

“It ought to be everybody – heterosexual, homosexual. When you go down and register to get married, that’s when the legal transfer of everything occurs and that’s a legal recognition of a relationship – and if you want to get married in a church, a temple, whatever, and you find one, great!” she said.

Is there a growing trend in the GOP leadership towards being more inclusive?

The National Journal did a recent insider poll about their beliefs on where their party should stand on same-sex marriage. It indicates that the Republican party is far from agreeing with the former governor.

Some specific responses from the Republicans:

My party should support it:

"Perception of complete hostility to all gay rights is killing the GOP among voters under 29. Evolve or perish, Republicans."

My party should oppose it:

"Our party's defense of traditional marriage is one of those issues that distinctly define us. But we have to argue for traditional marriage, as opposed to just railing against gay marriage."

"Homosexuality should not be encouraged, period."

Unfortunately for Steve Schmidt, Meghan McCain and Christine Whitman, not many in their party is listening. If they really want to bring effective change to the GOP, which is increasingly losing touch with the country, then they have a lot of work to do.

And I fully encourage them to keep it up.

Meghan McCain Speaks at Log Cabin Republican Convention

Meghan McCain, daughter of John McCain, already has a history of speaking up for LGBT issues, including marriage equality. She can now add to this history since she recently spoke at the Log Cabin Republican convention.



Read Meghan's full speech at The Daily Beast.

Meghan McCain, "Sexual orientation should not be a factor in how you are treated."

Meghan McCain, daughter of last November's Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, earlier appeared on Larry King Live where she stated her support of same-sex marriage. She sent the Republican Party into a tizzy while gaining many allies in the LGBT community.

Today, she posted a column on the Daily Beast to clarify her statements.

"I am a woman who despises labels and boxes and stereotypes. Recently, I seemed to have rocked a few individuals within my party by saying that I am a pro-life, pro-gay-marriage Republican. So if anyone is still confused, let me spell it out for you. I believe life begins at conception and I believe that people who fall in love should have the option to get married. Lest we forget, our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, grants the same rights to everyone in this country—“All men are created equal.” If you think certain rights should not apply to certain people, then you are saying those people are not equal. People may always have a difference of opinion on certain lifestyles, but championing a position that wants to treat people unequally isn't just un-Republican. At its fundamental core, it's un-American."

Throughout the piece, she makes clear her support for the Republican Party, that she's not straying from it but hoping to steer it back to its roots. She informs that she will be speaking at the Log Cabin Republicans' convention.

"At the end of the day, speaking at the Log Cabin Republicans' convention isn’t just about reaching out to the gay community—although I believe doing so is vital to the future success of the party. It’s also about reaching a wider base and redefining what it means to be Republican, and leaving labels, stereotypes, and negativity by the wayside. That more and more people are discussing gay rights speaks positively for the millions of young and progressive Republicans waiting for our party to return to its roots. Personal freedoms are what makes this country the greatest country in the world. And just like the civil-rights and feminist movements before this, the movement toward gay equality and gay marriage is one I have absolute faith will triumph over prejudices. Moreover, I believe the Republican Party has, at this moment, the opportunity to come forward and play an instrumental role in securing gay rights. That's why I'm speaking at the Log Cabin convention and couldn't be prouder to be doing so. And yes, I'm still a Republican. Get used to it."

If the whole of the Republican Party was more like her, I'd be hard pressed to come up with a reason not to switch parties. The Democrats in the past have offered many promises to the LGBT community only to ditch us once elected.

Calling her support for the gay community's cause "one of the ones closest to my heart," Meghan supports her words with action. If she ran for office, I may have to put my cynicism aside and actually believe her promises of equality.

If a new generation of Republicans follows Meghan's lead, it would be a mighty case of irony if the history books told about how the Republican Party brought LGBT equality to America.

Meghan McCain Believes in Gay Marriage

Meghan McCain, daughter of John McCain, the Republican's nominee for last fall's presidential race, is proving to be more the maverick than her father ever was, or more than her father ever hoped to be.

Last night, the "progressive Republican" appeared on CNN's Larry King Live and proclaimed her support for gay marriage.



As I've mentioned before, and as Meghan states here, real change lies in the hands of the new generation that is now standing up and speaking out. Not that the current generation can't bring about change, but true change in the minds of the populace will occur when the young generation matures and becomes the majority. That doesn't mean we sit back and wait. The tide is turning. Let's go surf.