Boteach: Gay marriage decision is ‘welcome’

Ben Harris

It probably shouldn’t surprise that “America’s rabbi” has endorsed last week’s Supreme Court decision on gay marriage. As the author of “Kosher Sex” and “Kosher Adultery,” Rabbi Shmuley Boteach has long championed a liberal view of sexuality.

Just days after two leading Orthodox institutions — the haredi Orthodox Agudath Israel of America and the centrist Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America — both issued statements lamenting the decision, Boteach said the court’s decision was the correct one.

In a statement published on the website of Fox News host Greta Van Susteren, Boteach explained his reasoning like this:

Of course, I can not hide the fact that for me as a Orthodox Rabbi the issue of gay marriage is a highly complicated one which is why I have always been in favor of civil unions for all and marriage for none. I do not believe our government should be involved in any marriages. Government should only be in the business of civil unions. They should be available to any two citizens whether they be straight or gay. But regardless, the Court has ruled correctly in affirming the equality of all American citizens regardless of sexual orientation.

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