Dick Cheney Defends Marriage Equality Silence in 2000
Heather Poe (L), Mary Cheney (R)/AP Photo
In a new interview with ABC News, former US Vice President Dick Cheney broaches the subject of gay marriage and says he was supportive of it all along. In fact, he wished his own daughter, Mary Cheney, well on her wedding day – by not attending the ceremony.
Cheney told ABC News, “I’m sure it was fine. We wished them well. She wanted to avoid having it [the wedding] be a media circus or having it become part of the political debate. So Lynn and I were very proud and happy and congratulated them.”
Cheney married her longtime partner, Heather Poe, on June 22, 2012. The couple have two children. Cheney gave birth to a son in 2007, and a daughter in 2009. They currently reside in Virginia.
The Cheneys released a public statement following their daughter’s marriage.
“Mary and Heather have been in a committed relationship for many years, and we are delighted that they were able to take advantage of the opportunity to have that relationship recognized,” the Cheneys said. “Mary and Heather and their children are very important and much loved members of our family and we wish them every happiness.”
“We are all so happy for Heather and Mary and their beautiful kids,” friend and former Cheney adviser Mary Matalin told TheDC. “Happy and moved by the blessing of their commitment and strength.”
Cheney suggested his support of marriage equality wouldn’t have done much good anyway and probably would have sunk President George W. Bush’s prospects for office. “Why?” he responded to ABC News when asked in a televised interview whether he should have pushed harder for gay couples to marry.
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