Rick Perry: ‘Gay Marriage is Not Fine With Me’

ABC News’ Arlette Saenz (@arlettesaenz) reports:

Last week in Aspen, Colo., Rick Perry said he supported New York’s decision to allow gay marriage because it is a states’ rights issue, saying “that's fine with me,”  but today, the Texas Governor was adamant he does not endorse gay marriage. 

“I probably needed to add a few words after that ‘it’s fine with me,’ and that it’s fine with me that a state is using their sovereign rights to decide an issue. Obviously gay marriage is not fine with me. My stance hasn’t changed,” Perry told Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council today.

Perry, who touts himself as a social conservative, came under fire for his comments on the New York law from other social conservatives, such as presidential candidate Rick Santorum.

“I am not, as some in this race have said, OK with New York doing what they're doing,” Santorum said Tuesday in Ankeny, Iowa.  “What New York did was wrong. I will oppose it and I will go to New York, if necessary, to help overturn it.”

But Perry maintained his comments mirrored the rights guaranteed to states by the 10^th Amendment.

“My comment reflects my recognition that marriage and most issues of the family historically have been decided by the people at the state and local level and that is absolutely the state of law under our constitution,” Perry said.

In 2005, Texas voters approved a marriage amendment to the Texas Constitution which defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

Perry supports a federal marriage amendment despite being a strong supporter of states’ rights.

“To not pass the federal marriage amendment would impinge on Texas and other states right not to have marriage forced on them by these activist judges, these special interest groups.  Our constitution was designed to respect states including the amendments process.”