Scott Walker's house divided on same-sex marriage
On the issue of same-sex marriage, Scott Walker's family is a house divided.
Walker, Wisconsin's Republican governor and a 2016 presidential candidate, is an outspoken opponent of marriage rights for gay couples. When the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in a ruling earlier this month, Walker labeled the decision a "grave mistake" and scolded "five unelected judges" for taking it "upon themselves to redefine the institution of marriage." He called for a constitutional amendment that would preserve the rights of individual states to legalize or ban same-sex marriage.
According to Walker's wife Tonette, Walker's sons Matt and Alex weren't too happy about their dad's response.
"That was a hard one," Tonette Walker told the Washington Post in an interview published Sunday. "Our sons were disappointed...I was torn. I have children who are very passionate [in favor of same-sex marriage], and Scott was on his side very passionate."
Walker explained why the issue is so personal for her.
"It's hard for me because I have a cousin who I love dearly -- she is like a sister to me -- who is married to a woman, her partner of 18 years," she said.
Walker told the Washington Post that Alex, her younger son, was her cousin's best man when she and her partner married last year.
Scott Walker, for his part, told the Post about how he approaches political disagreements within the family.
"It doesn't mean I change my position," he told the Post, adding that sometimes he'll find "a different way of explaining it, so they can appreciate where I am coming from."