Rick Perry Clarifies: 'Obviously Gay Marriage Is Not Fine With Me

Texas Gov. Rick Perry clarified his widely-reported statement from last week that he's "fine" with gay marriage, saying during a Christian radio interview Thursday that is "obviously" not the case.

Perry's comments came during a forum in Aspen, Colo. when the Republican governor — widely assumed to run for president — said New York's recent passage of gay marriage was "fine with me" because of his support for states' rights.

“I probably needed to add a few words after that ‘it’s fine with me,’ and that it’s fine with me that a state is using their sovereign rights to decide an issue. Obviously gay marriage is not fine with me. My stance hasn’t changed,” Perry said in an interview with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.

Repeating his convictions to both the 10th Amendment and his belief that marriage is between a man and a woman, Perry added: "My comment reflects my reputation that marriage and most issues of the family have historically been decided by the state and local level.

Perry pointed to his record as the governor of Texas, which includes the passage of a statewide constitutional ban on gay marriage.

He also emphasized his support for a federal amendment to protect marriage against "a small group of activist judges" and "liberal special interest groups" intent on redefining it.

"To not pass the federal marriage amendment would impinge on Texas and other states not to have [a redefinition of] marriage forced upon them," Perry said.

Listen to the audio here.