Bush’s daughter backs gay marriage

February 02, 2011|Associated Press

NEW YORK — One of George W. Bush’s daughters has announced her support for gay marriage, breaking with the former president on a key social issue but joining her mother and other prominent Republicans who back same-sex unions.

The Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights organization, released a video yesterday featuring Barbara Bush, a 29-year-old New York resident who runs Global Health Corps, a nonprofit public health organization.

“I’m a New Yorker for marriage equality,’’ Bush says in the video. “New York is about fairness and equality and everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love.’’

Paul Guequierre, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, said the video was produced to help promote efforts to win same-sex marriage rights in New York. A bill legalizing gay marriage passed the New York state Assembly in 2009 but was defeated in the state Senate that year. But Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced his support for same-sex marriage, and advocates believe they have enough votes in both chambers for a bill to pass this year.

“New York is one of our priority states,’’ Guequierre said.

Barbara Bush’s advocacy for gay marriage is a sharp departure from her father’s position on the issue.

The former president was an opponent of same-sex marriage and in 2004 announced his support for a proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw it. .