Gerald Ford supported gay marriage
Seriously. It’s apparently one of those little tidbits that was overshadowed by the Nixon pardon and Chevy Chase pratfalls.
The former president was a member of the Republican Unity Coalition (RUC), a gay-straight board of heavy hitters, including former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson, which advocates “making homosexuality a ‘non-issue’ for the Republican Party.” (An FYI: Mary Cheney, of all people, served on RUC’s board in 2002-2003). Clearly there are very few Gerald Fords in either party today.
And from the Advocate, Oct. 29, 2001:
In an interview published Monday, former President Gerald Ford said the federal government should provide the same benefits for same-sex couples and married couples.
His comments make him the highest-ranking Republican ever to publicly support equal treatment for same-sex couples.
Ford told Detroit News columnist Deb Price in a telephone interview that the provisions should include Social Security, tax and other federal benefits.
“I think they (same-sex couples) should be treated equally. Period,” he said.
In addition, he stated support for a federal law banning workplace discrimination against gays: “That is a step in the right direction. I have a longstanding record in favor of legislation to do away with discrimination.”
Well.











Dorene says:
Gerald Ford was a great man. It’s a shame that he’ll be forever remembered for a few stumbles and a single pardon. It’s also a shame that of the handful of teens I talked to yesterday, only one even knew he’d been a president. :/