Outside the Beltway

David Cameron Calls On Tories To Back Same-Sex Marriage

Doug Mataconis · Wednesday, October 5, 2011 · 2 comments

The fight for marriage equality may be on the verge of a significant victory across the pond, if this excerpt from David Cameron’s speech to the Conservative Party is any indication:

I once stood before a Conservative conference and said it shouldn’t matter whether commitment was between a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, or a man and another man. You applauded me for that. Five years on, we’re consulting on legalising gay marriage.

And to anyone who has reservations, I say: Yes, it’s about equality, but it’s also about something else: commitment. Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us; that society is stronger when we make vows to each other and support each other. So I don’t support gay marriage despite being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I’m a Conservative.

Conservatives on this side of the Atlantic would do well to listen to Cameron’s words.