Another Republican U.S. senator has come out for marriage equality, and this time the media should get the message that this is issue is not about politics, but about human beings.
On the heels of Rob Portman's announcement last month that he supports marriage equality, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., has declared his own support.
A year after suffering a serious stroke, Kirk returned to the Senate promising "an open mind and greater respect for others."
In his announcement the senator said: "Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage. Our time on this earth is limited, I know that better than most. Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back -- government has no place in the middle."
Kirk voted to overturn "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- and although in 2010 he said during a debate that he supported civil unions not "gay marriage," this year he supported Illinois Republican party Chairman Pat Brady when efforts were made to oust him after Brady announced his support for marriage equality in the state.
Kirk and Portman's support show once again that marriage equality is truly a bipartisan issue. A strong majority of Americans, which is growing across every possible divide, now support marriage equality.
GLAAD welcomes Sen. Kirk into the ever-growing list of conservative leaders, faith leaders, leaders from the African American and Hispanic communities, and figures from the worlds of sports and business who support marriage equality.