Dick Cheney’s lesbian daughter, Mary, weds longtime partner

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is celebrating the marriage of his openly gay daughter, Mary, to her longtime partner, Heather Poe.

In a statement to conservative news site The Daily Caller, Cheney and his wife, Lynne, said: "Mary and Heather have been in a committed relationship for many years, and we are delighted that they were able to take advantage of the opportunity to have that relationship recognized."

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The Cheneys added: "Mary and Heather and their children are very important and much loved members of our family and we wish them every happiness," USA Today reported.

The couple, who live together in Virginia and have two children, were married Friday morning in Washington, D.C.

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“We are all so happy for Heather and Mary and their beautiful kids,” friend and former Cheney adviser Mary Matalin told The Daily Caller. “Happy and moved by the blessing of their commitment and strength.”

A staunch conservative, Dick Cheney has always been more moderate on gay rights and is perhaps one of the most prominent Republican officials to embrace same-sex marriage.

Cheney has said he has long believed that the question of legalizing same-sex marriage should be left to states, but he also supported an effort by the George W. Bush administration for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Since leaving office, Cheney has said he now opposes such a ban.