Former California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger has said he married two gay couples as governor.
The 65-year-old Schwarzenegger, a
Republican, made the revelation during a wide-ranging interview with
60 Minutes' Leslie Stahl broadcast on Sunday.
“Are you for gay marriage?” Stahl
asked.
“I always said that I have nothing
against people doing what they want to do,” Schwarzenegger
answered. “If a couple wants to get married, they should get
married. I personally always said that marriage is between a man and
a woman but I would never force my will on people. I always want
people to make their decision.”
Expanding on the question, Stahl asked
if Schwarzenegger had attended the wedding of his chief of staff,
Susan Kennedy.
“I performed the wedding in the
office,” he answered, leaving Stahl a speechless for a moment.
“I don't have to be for gay marriage.
I'm for that she [Kennedy] gets the kind of wedding and the kind of
ceremony that I had when I got married with Maria [Shriver],” he
said.
Schwarzenegger added he also married a
second gay staffer.
As governor, Schwarzenegger twice
vetoed legislation which would have legalized such unions.