COLUMN: The GOP's Uncomfortable Debate Over Marriage Equality

As Republicans rebound from the 2012 election and plot their future, an uncomfortable debate over gay rights is taking place. Some party leaders are promoting a more inclusive approach to help the GOP modernize its image and reach across the generational divide. Polls show a narrow majority of Americans--and an overwhelming number of young people--think same-sex couples should have the right to marry. “The marketplace of ideas will render us irrelevant, and soon, if we are not honest about our time and place in history,” wrote former Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman last week in declaring his support for gay marriage.