Ohio Senator Rob Portman's son, Will
Portman, had said his parents were “rock-solid supportive” of him
when he came out gay.
Rob Portman has credited his son's
coming out for his recent change of heart on the issue of gay
marriage.
(Related: Senator
Rob Portman reverses course on gay marriage.)
Will Portman, a junior at Yale
University, wrote in an op-ed that during his freshman year he
decided to come out to family and friends.
“I made some good friends that first
semester, took a couple of interesting classes and got involved in a
few rewarding activities,” he wrote in an op-ed for the Yale
Daily News. “My dad won his election. On the surface,
things looked like they were going well. But the truth was, I wasn't
happy.”
After much soul-searching and a failed
in-person attempt, Portman overnighted a letter to his parents.
“They called as soon as they go the
letter. They were surprised to learn I was gay, and full of
questions, but absolutely rock-solid supportive. That was the
beginning of the end of feeling ashamed about who I was.”
“I hope that my dad's announcement
and our family's story will have a positive impact on anyone who is
closeted and afraid, and questioning whether there's something wrong
with them. I've been there. If you're there now, please know that
things really do get better, and they will for you too,” he
concluded.