Senator Rob Portman (R) of Ohio announced his support for gay marriage on Friday.

Although he had previously opposed this issue, Portman changed his mind after his son Will came out to his family in February, 2011, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

The report noted that he made the recent announcement in time for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on two gay marriage cases, which will take place the last week of March.

"I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn't deny them the opportunity to get married," he wrote in an editorial for The Columbus Dispatch.

Portman is the first Republican senator to support gay marriage openly, and the second-highest-ranking Republican to do so. He follows former Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter Mary is gay.

Before his announcement, Portman spoke to Cheney, asking his advice.

"I spoke to him personally; I actually met with him," Portman told CNN. Cheney's advice was simple: "Do the right thing. Follow your heart," according to Portman's recounting of the meeting.

Portman is known primarily for his acumen and conservatism on budgetary and economic issues - he served as President George W. Bush's budget director - and has seldom been outspoken about social issues. 

According to gay rights activists, Portman will not be the last Republican senator to endorse gay marriage.

 

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