Dem congressional candidate for 6th District changes views on gay marriage

CANFIELD — Congressional candidate Jennifer Garrison, who made her opponent’s opposition to Ohio’s Defense of Marriage Act a key issue in her successful 2004 state House race, now says she supports same-sex marriages.

“I believe in equality under the law,” Garrison, a Democrat from Marietta, told The Vindicator exclusively after an event today at the Hampton Inn in Canfield to kick off her campaign for the 6th Congressional District seat.

Churches shouldn’t be forced to officiate gay marriages, however, she said.

When asked why she changed her mind, Garrison said, “Lots of kitchen tables around the country in the last five years have discussed and debated this issue as well as mine. In the state Legislature, I had the opportunity to meet many people who explained how not having the protections impacted them. ... Quite frankly, it’s unfair and it feels discriminatory to me.”

During Garrison’s first successful campaign for an Ohio House seat in 2004, she criticized her opponent Nancy Hollister, the only House Republican to oppose DOMA, for her vote.

Garrison said she also supported anti-discrimination legislation based on sexual orientation in 2009.

For the complete story, read Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com