In a reversal of her vocally stated opinion, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney said during an opinion on “60 Minutes” on Sunday that she was wrong to oppose same-sex marriage.
“I was wrong. I love my sister very much. I love her family very much,” she told reporter Leslie Stahl. “It’s a very personal issue, and very personal for my family. I believe that my dad was right and my sister and I have had that conversation.”
Stahl reacted with surprise to Cheney’s answer, saying she did not expect the response.
Cheney has been vocal in her opposition to same-sex marriage for years, which caused a public split within the Cheney family, as her sister Mary is gay and married with children. Cheney’s father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, has been a vocal supporter of Mary.
Mary’s spouse, Heather Poe, posted on Facebook in 2013 that Cheney’s position was offensive and that “I always thought freedom meant freedom for EVERYONE,” USA Today reported at the time.
Cheney echoed those sentiments during her interview with Stahl, eight years after she publicly denounced gay marriage, which was legalized by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015.
“This is an issue that we have to recognize as human beings that we need to work against discrimination of all kinds in our country, in our state,” Cheney said. “We were at an event a few nights ago and, and there was a young woman who said she doesn’t feel safe sometimes because she’s transgender. Nobody should feel unsafe. Freedom means freedom for everybody.”
Stahl noted that Cheney’s change of heart was rare to see in a politician of her stature, especially within the current Republican Party.
Earlier this year, a transgender woman in Casper was attacked, allegedly for her gender identity. A bar in Cheyenne that mainly caters to motorcyclists caused major controversy on social media for selling a shirt that disparaged gay people.
Wyoming was also thrust into the national spotlight more than 20 years ago after the murder of Matthew Shepherd, a gay man in Laramie.
