Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) endorsed civil unions for same-sex couples in an interview published Thursday, prompting his office to quickly clarify that in fact he does still oppose civil unions, BuzzFeed reported.
The governor had used the term civil union “loosely,” Kasich spokesperson Rob Nichols explained in a statement.
“The governor’s position is unchanged. He opposes gay marriage and opposes changing Ohio’s Constitution to allow for civil unions,” said Nichols. “He’s opposed to discrimination against any Ohioan and, while he may have used the term ‘civil union’ loosely in this instance, he recognizes the existing rights of Ohioans to enter into private contracts to manage their personal property and health care issues.”
In the original interview on KyPost.com, Kasich said that “if people want to have civil unions and have some way to transfer their resources, I’m for that. I don’t support gay marriage. “
Gay rights advocates are hoping to legalize civil unions for gay couples in Ohio through a ballot initiative this year.
