CLEVELAND, OH, August 11, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) – Homosexuals are responding positively to Ohio Gov. John Kasich's responses to questions on LGBT issues at last Thursday night's inaugural Republican presidential debate, with one even saying Kasich had won a lot of new friends among homosexuals. Some of Kasich's statements reportedly met with “deafening cheers” in the Republican audience.
Kasich said in his comments that he'd recently attended the homosexual “wedding” of a friend, and that should either one of his daughters happen to be gay, he would love and accept her.
Kasich said as well that he accepts the SCOTUS decision legalizing homosexual “marriage” across the U.S.
“I'm an old-fashioned person here and I happen to believe in traditional marriage, but I've also said the court has ruled and I said we'll accept it,” stated Kasich, who had been asked how he would explain his opposition to homosexual “marriage” to one of his children if she identified as gay.
Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly pursued Kasich again with the specific question, garnering a response from Kasich that drew a reaction from the crowd.
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“Just because someone doesn't think the way I do doesn't mean I can't care about them or can't love them,” Kasich responded. “So, if one of my daughters happened to be that, of course I would love them and I'd accept them because you know what, that's what we're taught when we have strong faith.”
This last remark received significant applause in the auditorium, according to the LGBT website Keen News Service.
“So if she's like that – this is where I would agree with Jeb [Bush], and I've been saying it all along – we need to give everybody a chance, treat everybody with respect, and let them share in this great American dream that we have. I'm gonna 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.”
The Keen report was critical of the GOP candidate responses on the whole and also of the number of questions that focused on LGBT issues. Some people quoted for the story were unhappy that Kasich's remarks weren't LGBT friendly enough, but Kasich was the one candidate who stood out in the report with favorability in regard to homosexuality in his responses.
“There were no surprises on LGBT issues from the 17 Republican presidential hopefuls who took part in one of two debates sponsored and broadcast by Fox News last Thursday,” the report stated. “Only six of the candidates fielded a question that hit upon an LGBT issue. And only one of those six – Ohio Governor John Kasich – answered in a way that suggested a measure of respect for LGBT people.”
Gregory Angelo, executive director of the national homosexual Republican group Log Cabin Republicans, responded approvingly to what Kasich said in the debate, and to the Republican audience's reaction to some of it as well.
“I was blown away by his response and by the response of the crowd,” Angelo stated. “I had to watch the debate later to hear [Kasich's] full response on replay because the cheers were so deafening, I couldn't [hear the] entirety of his response. It was very encouraging.”
Angelo attended both GOP debates in Cleveland at the invitation of the Republican Party of Ohio's Cuyahoga County. He spoke about Kasich's turn at the Republican debate as having resulted in changing a lot of minds in the homosexual community about Kasich.
“I know a lot of folks, including Log Cabin folks, who are now big fans of John Kasich after his performance at the debate,” he said, “where before, it was largely a 'wait-and-see.' He's got a lot of new friends.”
