By . Meghan Keneally, David Mccormack and Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:21 EST, 2 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:45 EST, 2 April 2013 . A second Republican senator has spoken out in support of same-sex marriage in less than a month. Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, who suffered a severe stroke last year and returned to the chamber in January, said ‘government has no place in the middle’ of two people in love, regardless of gender. Kirk, who previously opposed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, said in a post on his blog on Tuesday that ‘same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage.’ U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) has become the second senate Republican to back same-sex marriage . ‘Our time on this Earth is limited, I know that better than most,’ said Kirk, who suffered a stroke in January 2012. ‘Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back - government has no place in the middle.’ Kirk went through months of rehabilitation before returning to work in Washington this January. He said in his blog post that when he went back to the Senate he promised himself he would return ‘with an open mind and greater respect for others.' Kirk is Illinois' highest ranking Republican lawmaker. He had previously voted to end the policy barring gays from openly serving in the military, known as ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell.’ He's also a lead co-sponsor of a bill . to ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, and has . opposed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. He also supported Illinois GOP . Chairman Pat Brady after Brady announced his support for same-sex . marriage earlier this year. When some members of the state central . committee attempted to oust Brady, Kirk said Brady had his full support. 'Evolved': Senator Rob Portman came out in support of same-sex marriage after he revealed that his son Will (center back) is gay . The issue of gay marriage was also in the news last week when the Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases on the issue. The nation's highest court is considering the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which denies same-sex couples federal benefits, and California's ban on gay marriage. Kirk has become the second sitting Republican senator to make such an announcement in recent weeks. Last month, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman became the first Republican senator to reverse his position on legalizing same-sex marriage. Portman, considered last year as a running mate by the Romney campaign, said he reversed his stance against gay marriage after his 21-year-old son Will came out to him and his wife. 'It allowed me to think of this issue from a new perspective, and that's of a Dad who loves his son a lot and wants him to have the same opportunities that his brother and sister would have - to have a relationship like Jane and I have had for over 26 years,' Portman told The Plain Dealer. 'The overriding message of love and compassion that I take from the Bible, and certainly the Golden Rule, and the fact that I believe we are all created by our maker, that has all influenced me in terms of my change on this issue.' Sen. Mark Kirk said serious illness had caused him to reconsider and he now believed that 'government has no place in the middle' of two people in love, regardless of gender . He said he had spent some time speaking to his church in Cincinnati and former Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter is gay. In the wake of his announcement, Portman was attacked by senior Republicans and angry voters. As of this writing, only seven Democrats in the chamber still oppose changing the definition of marriage. But others in the party are less inclined to change their position even when they too have gay relatives. Republican congressman Matt Salmon from Arizona said on Monday that even though his son is gay, he refuses to support same-sex marriage, saying that he's 'just not there.' 'As far as believing in my heart that we should change 2000 years of social policy in favor of a redefinition of the family. I'm not there,' Congressman Salmon said. Political pressure: Congressman Matt Salmon (center) said that he does not support same-sex marriage even though his son, also named Matt (center right) is gay . 'My son is by far one of the most important people in my life, I love him more than I could say,' he told local station 3TV News. 'I don’t believe that this is a lifestyle that he chose. 'It doesn't mean that I don’t have respect. It doesn't mean that I don’t sympathize with some of the issues, it just means that I haven't evolved to that station. Rob Portman apparently has.' The congressman's son, who is also named Matt Salmon, has been out and proud for a number of years, and told a Phoenix paper that he told his mother that he was gay when he was 14-years-old. His parents' anti-gay stance has not stopped the younger Matt Salmon from making his own way in state politics, becoming the president of the Arizona Log Cabin Republicans and posing for a photo shoot with his boyfriend for the Phoenix New Times. Open: Matt Salmon Jr (left, and right on right) posed for a photo shoot with his boyfriend in a Phoenix paper in 2010 . Adding to the complicated situation in the Salmon family is the fact that they are all devout Mormons, a faith that bans homosexuality. At the time of the interview in 2010, Matt was dating Kent Flake, who also has family connections to Republican politicians in the state, and the pair both decided to leave the church because of their conflicts with their sexuality. They received frosty welcomes from their families, who were not thrilled by the coupling. 'Everybody's pretty much told me, "You're fine, we love you, but your partner's not welcome because we don't want gay around us." And I'm like, "Well, I am gay. What if he doesn't act gay? Is that okay? Can he come around?"' Matt told the paper. Family values: Congressman Matt Salmon (center) and his wife Nancy (center left) are firmly anti-gay but they still love their gay son Matt (far right) In today's Washington Post article, the younger Matt tells how he and his father have a strong relationship but recognize their differences when it comes to homosexuality. 'I love my father and realize that he can have the opinions that he has, and they might differ from mine, but that doesn’t change the way I feel about him,' he said. 'I definitely share my feelings, but I don’t pressure him to change his opinion because I know that given our relationship there’s no real need to do that. We each know where we stand.'
Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois is the second sitting Republican senator to publicly come out in support of same-sex marriage .
He has blogged about how recovering from a stroke lead him to reconsider .
Last month Republican Senator Rob Portman changed his stance on the issue in light of his son's homosexuality .
But this week Arizona Congressman Matt Salmon said that even though his son is openly gay he does not support same-sex marriage .
By . Meghan Keneally, David Mccormack and Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:21 EST, 2 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:45 EST, 2 April 2013 . A second Republican senator has spoken out in support of same-sex marriage in less than a month. Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, who suffered a severe stroke last year and returned to the chamber in January, said ‘government has no place in the middle’ of two people in love, regardless of gender. Kirk, who previously opposed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, said in a post on his blog on Tuesday that ‘same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage.’ U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) has become the second senate Republican to back same-sex marriage . ‘Our time on this Earth is limited, I know that better than most,’ said Kirk, who suffered a stroke in January 2012. ‘Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back - government has no place in the middle.’ Kirk went through months of rehabilitation before returning to work in Washington this January. He said in his blog post that when he went back to the Senate he promised himself he would return ‘with an open mind and greater respect for others.' Kirk is Illinois' highest ranking Republican lawmaker. He had previously voted to end the policy barring gays from openly serving in the military, known as ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell.’ He's also a lead co-sponsor of a bill . to ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, and has . opposed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. He also supported Illinois GOP . Chairman Pat Brady after Brady announced his support for same-sex . marriage earlier this year. When some members of the state central . committee attempted to oust Brady, Kirk said Brady had his full support. 'Evolved': Senator Rob Portman came out in support of same-sex marriage after he revealed that his son Will (center back) is gay . The issue of gay marriage was also in the news last week when the Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases on the issue. The nation's highest court is considering the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which denies same-sex couples federal benefits, and California's ban on gay marriage. Kirk has become the second sitting Republican senator to make such an announcement in recent weeks. Last month, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman became the first Republican senator to reverse his position on legalizing same-sex marriage. Portman, considered last year as a running mate by the Romney campaign, said he reversed his stance against gay marriage after his 21-year-old son Will came out to him and his wife. 'It allowed me to think of this issue from a new perspective, and that's of a Dad who loves his son a lot and wants him to have the same opportunities that his brother and sister would have - to have a relationship like Jane and I have had for over 26 years,' Portman told The Plain Dealer. 'The overriding message of love and compassion that I take from the Bible, and certainly the Golden Rule, and the fact that I believe we are all created by our maker, that has all influenced me in terms of my change on this issue.' Sen. Mark Kirk said serious illness had caused him to reconsider and he now believed that 'government has no place in the middle' of two people in love, regardless of gender . He said he had spent some time speaking to his church in Cincinnati and former Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter is gay. In the wake of his announcement, Portman was attacked by senior Republicans and angry voters. As of this writing, only seven Democrats in the chamber still oppose changing the definition of marriage. But others in the party are less inclined to change their position even when they too have gay relatives. Republican congressman Matt Salmon from Arizona said on Monday that even though his son is gay, he refuses to support same-sex marriage, saying that he's 'just not there.' 'As far as believing in my heart that we should change 2000 years of social policy in favor of a redefinition of the family. I'm not there,' Congressman Salmon said. Political pressure: Congressman Matt Salmon (center) said that he does not support same-sex marriage even though his son, also named Matt (center right) is gay . 'My son is by far one of the most important people in my life, I love him more than I could say,' he told local station 3TV News. 'I don’t believe that this is a lifestyle that he chose. 'It doesn't mean that I don’t have respect. It doesn't mean that I don’t sympathize with some of the issues, it just means that I haven't evolved to that station. Rob Portman apparently has.' The congressman's son, who is also named Matt Salmon, has been out and proud for a number of years, and told a Phoenix paper that he told his mother that he was gay when he was 14-years-old. His parents' anti-gay stance has not stopped the younger Matt Salmon from making his own way in state politics, becoming the president of the Arizona Log Cabin Republicans and posing for a photo shoot with his boyfriend for the Phoenix New Times. Open: Matt Salmon Jr (left, and right on right) posed for a photo shoot with his boyfriend in a Phoenix paper in 2010 . Adding to the complicated situation in the Salmon family is the fact that they are all devout Mormons, a faith that bans homosexuality. At the time of the interview in 2010, Matt was dating Kent Flake, who also has family connections to Republican politicians in the state, and the pair both decided to leave the church because of their conflicts with their sexuality. They received frosty welcomes from their families, who were not thrilled by the coupling. 'Everybody's pretty much told me, "You're fine, we love you, but your partner's not welcome because we don't want gay around us." And I'm like, "Well, I am gay. What if he doesn't act gay? Is that okay? Can he come around?"' Matt told the paper. Family values: Congressman Matt Salmon (center) and his wife Nancy (center left) are firmly anti-gay but they still love their gay son Matt (far right) In today's Washington Post article, the younger Matt tells how he and his father have a strong relationship but recognize their differences when it comes to homosexuality. 'I love my father and realize that he can have the opinions that he has, and they might differ from mine, but that doesn’t change the way I feel about him,' he said. 'I definitely share my feelings, but I don’t pressure him to change his opinion because I know that given our relationship there’s no real need to do that. We each know where we stand.'
less than a month. Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, Rob Portman came out in support of same-sex marriage. Kirk has become the second sitting Portman became the first Republican senator to caused him to reconsider and he now believed that Republican congressman Matt Salmon from Arizona said on Monday that even though his son is gay, Political pressure: Congressman Matt Salmon (center) said that he does not support same-sex