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“I’d probably vote differently now on the gay marriage issue," said incoming Prime Minister Bill English. "I don’t think that gay marriage is a threat to anyone else’s marriage."
New Zealand's Prime Minister Bill English recently confirmed his support for gay marriage in his first press conference under his new executive title.
In the past, the conservative English cited his Catholicism as the primary reason for his vote against gay marriage in 2012, despite its passing with a two-thirds majority vote.
Now, English states that after seeing the positive effect marriage has had on same-sex couples, he would vote to keep marriage a right for all, according to the New Zealand Herald.
"I'd probably vote differently now on the gay marriage issue. I don't think that gay marriage is a threat to anyone else's marriage," said English. "Just seeing the impact it has had for couples and the fact that it doesn't erode marriage."
Human Rights Commissioner Richard Tankersley approved of English's change in opinion, calling his willingness to change his mind, "a rare but valuable quality in any leader."
Still, English maintains his positions on abortion and euthanasia. But with any luck, perhaps New Zealanders will get English to reconsider these issues as well!
Watch the speech below:
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