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Barbara Bush disagrees with dad George W. on gay marriage

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Washington Bureau

Barbara Bush, George W. Bush’s daughter, has broken from the former president on one key social issue: gay marriage.

Barbara Bush, 29, has recorded a video on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign’s efforts to make same-sex marriage legal in New York state. In the video, which has become widely viewed on YouTube, the former first daughter says, “I’m Barbara Bush and I’m a New Yorker for marriage equality. New York is about fairness and equality and everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love. Join us.”

Barbara’s mother, Laura, also came out in support of gay marriage last year, during an interview on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” saying that she and her husband “disagree” on the issue.

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“Americans from all walks of life are increasingly supportive of the basic right to equal marriage,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese in a statement. “Barbara Bush’s advocacy shows that equality knows no party label.”

Other New Yorkers participating in the campaign include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Mayor Michael Bloomberg, actor Julianne Moore and musician Moby. Barbara Bush is chief executive officer and co-founder of Global Health Corps, a nonprofit that advocates for better medical care for the poor worldwide.

As his daughter is finding her political voice, the former president recently said he’s finished with politics.

“I don’t want to go out and campaign for candidates. I don’t want to be viewed as a perpetual money-raiser. I don’t want to be on these talk shows giving my opinion, second-guessing the current president,” Bush told C-SPAN in an interview.

“It’s tough enough to be president as it is without a former president undermining the current president. Plus, I don’t want to do that,” he said.

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