George W. Bush reportedly offered to officiate same-sex wedding
Former President George W. Bush may have campaigned against same-sex marriage a decade ago, but he more recently offered to officiate a lesbian wedding, according to the Boston Globe.
In an article about the Bush family's longtime ties to the town of Kennebunkport, Maine, the Globe mentions that former President George H.W. Bush in 2013 attended the wedding of Bonnie Clement and Helen Thorgalsen, two general store owners in Kennebunkport. In face, George H.W. Bush served as a witness at the wedding. The article also says, "George W. Bush offered to perform the ceremony but had a scheduling conflict."
Mr. Bush's spokesman Freddy Ford told CBS News that while the former president is indeed friends with Bonnie Clement and Helen Thorgalsen, he doesn't recall making an offer to officiate their wedding.
The Bush's relationship with the Kennebunkport couple illustrates the evolution of opinion on the issue of same-sex marriage, as well as the conflicting messages some Republicans have sent. In 2004, George W. Bush supported a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman, and he made it an issue in his re-election campaign. Yet in her 2004 memoir, Mr. Bush's wife Laura Bush said she urged the president to drop the issue out of respect for their gay friends.
The issue of same-sex marriage is once again a presidential campaign issue, given that the Supreme Court next month is expected to say whether or not gay couples have a constitutional right to marry. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a potential presidential candidate, has said that he thinks the issue should be left up to the states.
