During an interview Thursday in Washington, Portman said his evolution on the subject of gay marriage began in 2011 when his son, Will, then a freshman at Yale University, told his parents he was gay.

Portman says his new views reflect “a change of heart from the position of a father” and that he first talked to his pastor and others, including former Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter is a lesbian.

As a member of the House in 1996, Portman voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman and bars federal recognition of same-sex marriage.

The same poll says most Ohioans think the state’s new casinos will be good for the state, and most Ohioans do not want to move away from the practice of electing state Supreme Court justices.

The poll also says 47 percent of Ohioans oppose same-sex marriage, compared to 45 percent support, and voters are evenly split on legalizing marijuana.

Click here for more details on the poll from Ohio Public Radio’s Bill Cohen.

As the registry opened at City Hall a handful of same-sex couples stepped forward to get a city-backed certificate that states the couple is financially inter-dependent and each individual is 18, mentally competent and not legally married to another person. Ron Templin and his partner Bill LaFayette were among the handful of couples to take advantage of the new registry.

“For me it means a baby step. In other words, it’s not full equality but it’s a step in the right direction.” Says Templin.

The city registry does nothing to change the legal status of same sex relationships. Terry Brown and his partner Joel Bradley got married in Iowa three years ago. Even though Ohio and the new registry does not recognize the marriage, Brown says it will have practical benefits.

“When I applied for domestic partner health care benefits for my partner Joel, I had to provide a stack of documentation, and a notarized statement saying we were in a committed monogamous relationship. Now, simply being on the registry will allow us to do that.” Says Brown.

Mayor Michael Coleman adds that the city registry will remove what he called an “administrative burden” from businesses and public institutions to define and certify the existence of a relationship. For Linda Schuler and Carla Rothan the new registry also has symbolic significance.

“We’ve been together for 16 years and even though this is a very practical thing to do for us, it’s a symbolic thing as well because we’ve never been able to do that in the city that we live in.” Says  Carla Rothan

Columbus’s gay population is estimated at 35,000 or about 4.7 percent of the city’s population. Columbus is the 7th Ohio city to offer a domestic partner registry.

For years, they’ve argued it’s a matter of human rights and equality. But now, they’re saying it’s also a matter of a stronger economy. Click the play button above for details of the report, as well as reaction from critics of gay marriage.