Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) says he “can’t imagine” his view on gay marriage shifting, days after a prominent Republican senator changed his position on same-sex marriage.
“I believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman,” said Boehner in an interview for ABC’s “This Week” aired on Sunday. “It's what I grew up with. It's what I believe. It's what my church teaches me. And-- I can't imagine that position would ever change.”
Boehner’s comments come after Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) announced earlier this week that he now supports gay marriage, saying he had a “change of heart” after his son revealed that he was gay.
“I think we should be allowing gay couples the joy and stability of marriage,” Portman said, becoming the only sitting GOP senator to publicly back gay marriage.
Boehner called Portman a “great friend and a long-time ally.”
“I appreciate that he’s decided to change his views on this, but I believe that marriage is a union of a man and a woman,” the Speaker said.
Polls, though, show the issue gaining support, and many prominent Republicans, including former Vice President Dick Cheney, have endorsed same-sex marriage.
House Republican leaders though are backing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court. The federal law defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
The Supreme Court is slated to hear a case challenging the law later this month.
