What it takes (Updated)

is knowing someone gay. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has had a change of heart on same-sex marriage:

Update: Here's an op ed by Portman in the Columbus Dispatch. There is one bit I take exeption to:

The process of citizens persuading fellow citizens is how consensus is built and enduring change is forged. That’s why I believe change should come about through the democratic process in the states. Judicial intervention from Washington would circumvent that process as it’s moving in the direction of recognizing marriage for same-sex couples. An expansive court ruling would run the risk of deepening divisions rather than resolving them.

Um, no, Senator -- people do not get to vote on my civil rights. That's one reason we have the federal judiciary -- to protect those rights from the "whim of the people." (See Romer v. Evans on that score.) I'm perfectly happy to have the courts upholding the right of everyone to marry the person of their choice. That way, if someone doesn't like it, they have to rewrite the Constitution, and as we've seen, it's not that easy. Not even for marriage. There's a fair amount of irony in the piece, if you know anything of Portman's record (consistently anti-gay). I'm sure it's unintentional.