Mary Cheney, youngest daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney and sister of Republican Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, has spoken out after her sister publicly recanted her opposition to gay marriage.
Cheney, who is a lesbian and has been married to her wife Heather Poe since 2012, took to Facebook to issue a heartfelt response to her sister's recent comments that she regrets the anti-LGBTQ stances she took during her failed 2013 Senate run.
Kind and thoughtful as her response was, Mary Cheney couldn't help but append a good-natured dig at her sister at the end of it all, and it's got people on the internet cheering her on.
See her response below.
Of her sister's comments, Mary Cheney's wrote:
"I love my sister very much and am so proud of her. It took a ton of courage to admit that she was wrong back in 2013 when she opposed marriage equality. That is something few politicians would ever do..."
"...We could certainly use a lot more leaders like Liz Cheney right now."
Cheney then closed her statement with a subtle drag of her sister.
"And as her sister – I have one more thing that I just have to say"
"I told you so."
An instantly relatable roast for any LGBTQ+ person who's ever had to deal with anti-LGBTQ+ relative.
Cheney's dig at her sister may have all been in good fun, but GOP Representative Cheney's former stance against same-sex marriage was no laughing matter back in 2013. She faced waves of criticism at the time from those on both sides of the political aisle.
It struck many as a cruel public denial of her sister's identity nearly a decade after even her father, who was Vice President to anti-LGBTQ+ President George W. Bush, had publicly spoken in support of same-sex marriage.
Liz Cheney spoke out about all of this during an interview with 60 Minutes this past weekend.
Cheney told reporter Leslie Stahl:
"I was wrong. I love my sister very much. I love her family very much... It's a very personal issue, and very personal for my family. I believe that my dad was right. And my sister and I have had that conversation."
"We need to work against discrimination of all kinds … Freedom means freedom for everybody."
On social media, people gave kudos for Mary Cheney's response.
This is an adorable and graceful response from Mary Cheney https://t.co/dzyvRM0Cj5— Tiana Lowe (@Tiana Lowe) 1632862031.0
@KevinBohn She earned that gloat— Jen & Judy’s Dirty Shovel (@Jen & Judy’s Dirty Shovel) 1632707067.0
So much respect for Mary Cheney who took the hard but honest and fulfilling path by living out and proud. This is h… https://t.co/6NURZ07kYQ— Adam Day (@Adam Day) 1632727776.0
But not everyone was impressed with Liz Cheney.
For many, her change of heart rang of hollow opportunism, especially given many of her other deeply conservative stances and her voting record on LGBTQ+ equality.
@KevinBohn @mkraju If only she'd added, "Liz was as wrong about marriage equality as she is about abortion rights and gun control..."— Kathleen Hamilton (@Kathleen Hamilton) 1632709230.0
@KevinBohn @mkraju It serves her agenda to “regret it” now.— ChristineMoreSo (@ChristineMoreSo) 1632708728.0
@KevinBohn @WarnockWarrior She voted against the equality act…come on— Banks (@Banks) 1632708654.0
@WillietheYorkie @thedailybeast Never listen to people's words, always watch their actions. Actions are what people… https://t.co/472MYpdAiW— Yerry (@Yerry) 1632753856.0
@stampysez_relax @JoeMyGod Compassionate fascism— Ryan Zeskey (@Ryan Zeskey) 1632751106.0
Liz Cheney apologizes for opposing same-sex marriage. Now we want an apology for every vote she ever made while sup… https://t.co/qNuXRZxZP8— Nic #VetsResist🇺🇸🏳️🌈 #SaveOurPlanet (@Nic #VetsResist🇺🇸🏳️🌈 #SaveOurPlanet) 1632759709.0
Mary Cheney has been publicly gay for 29 years. Dick Cheney has publicly supported gay marriage for 17 years Gay… https://t.co/mNL0r0Ss4y— Rom Space Nine (@Rom Space Nine) 1632710873.0
Cheney may support same-sex marriage now, but she still apparently opposes other aspects of LGBTQ+ equality.
Earlier this year, she joined the majority of her fellow Republicans in voting against the Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include prohibitions of discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.