Star Witness For Prop 8 Case Changes Heart, Now Supports Marriage Equality

Evolution on issue reflects Americans’ growing acceptance of marriage for gay and lesbian couples

Today the Human Rights Campaign – the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization – applauded David Blankenhorn, the founder of the Institute for American Values and a key witness in the Prop 8 trial for upholding the law, who today came out in support of marriage equality in an op-ed in the New York Times.  In the Perry case brought by the American Foundation for Equal Rights, when AFER attorney David Boies asked how marriage for gay couples would hurt the marriages of straight couples, Blankenhorn famously replied, “I don’t know.”

Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin issued the following statement:

“David Blankenhorn’s evolution on marriage equality is emblematic of the paradigm shift we are experiencing as a country on this issue.  Loving gay and lesbian couples should not be denied the ability to make the same lifelong commitment as everyone else and Blankenhorn’s agreement with that proposition puts him in the mainstream of American opinion.

“What David Blankenhorn has shown the world is that through careful deliberation and a deepening understanding of LGBT people, one can only draw the conclusion that the answer is full equality.  While it can be difficult as a public figure to change course, I applaud him for taking a courageous and principled stand.  His experience wrestling with the issue of marriage equality and coming out on the right side of history will be an inspiration to millions of fair-minded Americans who are in the same place.”