Meghan McCain and Chelsea Clinton, two
gay allies, have joined MSNBC as paid contributors.
MSNBC announced Monday that McCain,
daughter of Arizona Senator John McCain, had joined the network. The
27-year-old McCain has often appeared as a guest on MSNBC. Her first
paid appearance will be on NOW with Alex Wagner.
McCain described working at MSNBC as a
“unique opportunity to share my perspective as a Republican on a
network I respect and have built a relationship with over the past
two years.”
The network announced last week that
Clinton, daughter of former president Bill Clinton and Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton, had come aboard as a special correspondent.
Both women have publicly supported gay
rights.
In a
2009 op-ed published at The Daily Beast, McCain urged the
Republican Party to broaden its appeal to include the LGBT community,
arguing that its opposition to gay marriage leaves gay people feeling
unwelcome in the GOP.
But critics noted that McCain was
silent on the issue of gay rights when her father was running for
president the previous year.
Clinton and her famous father urged New
York lawmakers to approve a gay marriage bill earlier this year.
“I certainly believe that those of us
who are straight cannot expect our gay friends to do this on their
own,” Chelsea
Clinton said at a FriendFactor.org
benefit in May. “And I certainly expect our straight friends to
help us achieve that for all New Yorkers, for all Americans, and for
all the children that at least [husband] Marc and I hope to have
someday.”