Joining McCain daughter Meghan, who declared on Larry King earlier this week that she believed in gay marriage, Republican strategist and former McCain campaign advisor Steve Schmidt came out in favor of marriage equality and a more inclusive Republican Party in an interview with the Washington Blade this week.

Schmidt says in the interview that his views on gay rights were influenced by his knowledge of a gay person– his lesbian sister– and his understanding of the difficulties and discrimination she faces.

In a perverse moment, Schmidt quotes former Vice President Dick Cheney to make his argument.

“I think one of the most tragic things in the world [is] when people are closeted and are denied their sexuality and this incredibly important part of their lives and the destructive potential of that action,” he said. “And I’ve come to believe over time that, as Dick Cheney said, freedom for everybody means freedom for everybody.”

The interview is wide-ranging, and provides interesting insight into the man behind the McCain Presidential campaign.