Ohio Governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich said he is “old-fashioned” and does not believe in gay marriage, but said he would love his daughter if she was gay, because that is what his faith has taught him.
“I’m an old-fashioned person here and I happen to believe in traditional marriage,” Kasich said. “But I’ve also said the court has ruled. … and I said we will accept it. And guess what, I just went to a wedding of a friend of mine who happens to be gay.”
Kasich’s comment about going to a gay friend’s wedding drew some applause from the crowd. According to Cleveland.com, he attended the wedding of Steve George and Jeff Gatwood in July. George has worked in Kasich’s administration.
“Because someone doesn’t think the way I do, doesn’t mean that I can’t care about them or that I can’t love them,” Kasich continued. “So, if one of my daughter’s happened to be that, of course I would love them, and I would accept them. Because, you know what, that’s what we’re taught when we have strong faith. So, issues like that are planted to divide us. I think the simple fact of the matter is … we need to give everyone a chance, treat everyone with respect and let them share in this great American dream that we have.
“I’m going to love my daughters no matter what they do, because you know what, God gives me unconditional love, I’m going to give it to my family and my friends, and the people around me,” Kasich said, drawing loud applause from the crowd in his home state.
