Prop 8 Lawyer Charles Cooper Now Supports Same Sex Marriage

Activists and news junkies like myself will remember that Charles Cooper argued before the United States Supreme Court that Proposition 8 was constitutional and Cooper opposed same sex marriage.  Then an amazing thing happened: Cooper's stepdaughter came out as lesbian.  Now she is getting married to her partner and Cooper is helping with the wedding planning.  This about face shows the power of LGBT individuals living their lives "out" and proud.  It does changes hearts and minds.  True, some us will not have the positive experience of Cooper's stepdaughter, but in the larger scheme of things being out will create change.  A piece in Slate looks at Charles Cooper's stunning "evolution" on same sex marriage.  Here are highlights:

The lawyer who argued before the Supreme Court last year in defense of California’s Proposition 8 that banned gay marriage in the state, says his views on same-sex marriage are evolving. It’s a stunning change of heart from attorney Charles Cooper who argued before the court that same-sex unions weaken marriages between a man and a woman.

The reason behind Cooper’s rethink on the issue is an understandable one—during the high profile case, he learned his stepdaughter was gay. "My views evolve on issues of this kind the same way as other people's do, and how I view this down the road may not be the way I view it now, or how I viewed it ten years ago," Cooper is quoted as saying in an upcoming book, the Associated Press reports. In journalist Jo Becker’s book "Forcing the Spring: Inside the Fight for Marriage Equality," Becker recounts how, as the case rose through the court system, “Cooper's family began to consider the plaintiffs in the case, Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, as an inspiration for their daughter,” according to the AP.

With the case resolved, and Prop 8 dismissed by the Supreme Court, signaling a victory for gay rights advocates, Cooper opened up about his evolving personal opinion on gay marriage. Cooper’s stepdaughter plans to marry her partner in Massachusetts this summer. In a statement to the AP: Cooper said his family "is typical of families all across America." "My daughter Ashley's path in life has led her to happiness with a lovely young woman named Casey, and our family and Casey's family are looking forward to celebrating their marriage in just a few weeks," he said.

Hate group leader Tony Perkins and NOM's Brian Brown must be acting as if someone just peed big time in their Cheerios.  I can just imagine the flying spittle.