I’m a Republican dad of a gay daughter. Here’s what I want for her, senators.

My youngest daughter Rachael and I have always been extremely close. When she was 18 years old, she told me, through tears, that she is gay, convinced that I would be upset. I felt awful — and still feel awful — that she thought I would not accept her for who she is.

It pains me that she went through years of this knowledge and did not feel comfortable sharing it with me and the rest of our family because of the stigma that she perceived to go along with it. In retrospect, I realized that we were probably like a lot of other families and said things among our family that were very hurtful to Rachael. I wish we could take them back, but the reality is that we can’t. We must live with the mistakes that we made — and now, I’m eager to help other families avoid their own missteps.

This experience is part of why it’s so important to me now to speak up for what I believe in, and to stand up for equality for all people. To me, some concepts in our country just shouldn’t be political — like the idea that people should be able to live publicly and proudly as their authentic selves.

I’ve become much more vocal in the past few months alone, shocked and disturbed by the U.S. Supreme Court opinions restricting abortion access and inviting challenges to long-settled precedents like the freedom to marry for same-sex couples or everyone’s right to privacy and intimacy in the bedroom.

This month I’ve spoken out directly to my U.S. Senators in North Carolina, Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, urging them to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would make major strides toward protecting marriage equality for same-sex couples and interracial couples.

I can’t bear to think that in the future, the Supreme Court rulings guaranteeing the freedom to marry could be overturned, just like Roe v. Wade was overturned this year — that my home state could someday return to being a place where people like my daughter are explicitly excluded because of who they are.

I care about this as a business owner. I founded a large, 300-employee builders’ supply company in western North Carolina, and I know that diversity and equality are good for business and for retaining a healthy workforce. I care about this as a lifelong registered Republican committed to the understanding that government shouldn’t interfere in anyone’s private life.

But most importantly, I care about this as a proud father of a gay daughter. I’ll always go to bat for her if someone tries to make her a second-class citizen because of her sexual orientation.

I urge fellow parents of LGBTQ children to learn from my own mistakes — to communicate to their children again and again that you are there for them to talk to you about anything, and that there is no shame in feelings. I hope that before I go to my grave that I can see our country transition to a place where we are all the same and have the same rights.

This will take action from Republicans, of course, which would be clearly in line with the conservative values that I’ve long held. My conservative priorities are those of limited government, not just when it comes to fiscal situations but also in the personal decisions people make for themselves about family, faith, and love.

I was really encouraged by the vote on the Respect for Marriage Act in the House of Representatives, where 47 Republicans voted to pass it. That vote just makes sense: A supermajority of the country — 71%, according to a Gallup poll — supports the freedom to marry, and it’s critical we protect that right from extreme forces working overtime to roll it back. And truthfully, it’s hard to find a family that does not include an LGBTQ person.

Senator Tillis has already indicated his support for this bill. Sen. Burr should join with his colleague. Then, they should help find a pathway forward on other vital LGBTQ issues, including federal protections from discrimination.

Their votes in favor would restore some of my faith in the party. They would make me even prouder to call North Carolina home. And they’d send a moving message to our LGBTQ friends, neighbors, loved ones — and my daughter — that all loving, committed relationships deserve dignity, honor and respect.

This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 3:31 PM.