Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski came out in support of same-sex marriage Wednesday during an interview with Anchorage television station KTUU. She also posted an op-ed about her position on her Senate website.
In her op-ed, Murkowski explained her “evolution” on the issue with a story about a lesbian military couple from Alaska who had adopted four children in 2007 to begin a family, but suffered because they could not have their relationship or family recognized by state law. When she met them that year, she realized that “this first-class Alaskan family still lives a second-class existence.”
Murkwoski also explained that she feels same-sex marriage for lesbian and gay couples falls in line with her values as a Republican, stating:
“I am a life-long Republican because I believe in promoting freedom and limiting the reach of government. When government does act, I believe it should encourage family values. I support the right of all Americans to marry the person they love and choose because I believe doing so promotes both values: it keeps politicians out of the most private and personal aspects of peoples’ lives while also encouraging more families to form and more adults to make a lifetime commitment to one another.”
Murkowski is the third Republican Senator to announce support for marriage equality this year. She is the first female Republican Senator to do so.
Media Resources: Washington Blade 6/19/2013; Senator Lisa Murkowski 6/19/2013
