Critic changes tune on gay marriage

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NEW YORK, June 23 (UPI) -- Opponents of same-sex marriage in the United States said they were disappointed at the seeming defection of one of their leading voices.

David Blankenhorn said in an op-ed article in The New York Times he was throwing in the towel and called for the acceptance of homosexuals being allowed to marry.

"Whatever one's definition of marriage, legally recognizing gay and lesbian couples and their children is a victory for basic fairness," wrote Blankenhorn, founder of the Institute for American Values.

But Peter Sprigg, a senior fellow at the Family Research Council, told the Times he suspects Blankenhorn changed his tune out of fear of offending homosexuals and other supporters of same-sex marriage.

"He has thrown marriage under the bus for the sake of the homosexual movement," Sprigg said.