Tina Smith: “I have been a Republican Senator since the beginning of my service in this Chamber who has been an advocate for gay…”

“I have been a Republican Senator since the beginning of my service in this Chamber who has been an advocate for gay rights. I have been an advocate for gay rights while still believing the right to defend traditional marriage. Because of that, I was drawn with interest to an editorial of the New York Times back on April 2, 2004. It frankly reflected many of my feelings. It noted in the editorial: The American Enterprise Institute, a conservative research and advocacy group, has been collecting poll results on gay issues going back three decades. The numbers document a profound change in attitudes, most strikingly on employment issues but also in areas like adoption rights, legal benefits and acceptance of gay relations. The Times goes on to note, however: There are lots of theories to explain these more tolerant attitudes. Our own guess is that as more and more gays have acknowledged their sexual orientation, straight Americans have come to see that gays are not deviants to be feared, but valued friends, neighbors, and colleagues, who are not much different from anyone else. I believe that, too.”