Perry signs pledge on anti-gay marriage amendment

AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Rick Perry has signed a pledge to back a federal constitutional amendment against gay marriage — a reversal of his earlier position that marriage rights should be left up to individual states.

The Republican presidential hopeful signed the National Organization for Marriage’s pledge Friday.

It states that, if elected, Perry will send a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the states for ratification and appoint U.S. Supreme Court and federal judges who will “reject the idea our Founding Fathers inserted a right to gay marriage into our Constitution.”

Perry had said that though he doesn’t support gay marriage personally, it is a states’ rights issue. He even suggested New York’s decision to legalize it was therefore fine with him.