John Kasich said he would tell his 16-year-old daughters 'I love you girls' if they came out as gay

John Kasich would tell his daughters he loved them if they came out as gay, he revealed on Thursday. 

The governor of Ohio said he would simply tell his 16-year-old twin daughters Emma and Reese: 'I love you girls' and said that would be 'the end' of the conversation. 

Earlier this week Kasich reiterated that although he was a 'traditional marriage guy', he would allow the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of gay marriage to stand. 

'I'm not looking for some constitutional amendment,' he said during a campaign event in Troy, New York. 'It's done.'

John Kasich would tell his daughters (pictured with his wife Karen) he loved them if they came out as gay, he revealed on Thursday 

The governor of Ohio said he would simply tell his 16-year-old twin daughters Emma (left) and Reese: 'I love you girls' and said that would be 'the end' of the conversation 

Kasich repeated during an interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews that he believed marriage should remain between a man and a woman, but said he had recently attended a friend's same-sex wedding.

'I don't think it's right,' he said. 'And the wedding that I went to, they know that I don't agree with them.' 

But Kasich said he was ready to move on from the gay marriage debate. 

When Matthews asked him what gay couples who love each other should do, Kasich replied: 'They should love one another. That's the end of it.'  

The Ohio governor was less straightforward when he was asked about his stance on gay conversion therapy during the same event in Troy. 

Alana Klein began her question by referencing Leelah Alcorn, a transgender 17-year-old Ohio teen who was subjected to conversion therapy and later committed suicide. 

She left a heartbreaking note on her Tumblr that made national headlines as she revealed her parents refused to allow her to transition and instead took her to 'Christian therapists'.

'I’m never going to be happy,' she wrote. 'Either I live the rest of my life as a lonely man who wishes he were a woman or I live my life as a lonelier woman who hates herself.' 

Klein noted that conversion therapy has already been banned in California, New Jersey, Illinois and the District of Columbia and asked Kasich what he planned to do 'to protect our LGBT persons'. 

Kasich only said he was not familiar with Alcorn's case and then changed the subject to same-sex marriage and his views on anti-discrimination legislation.

'This is a very tough issue for people and let me tell you my view on it,' he said. 

Earlier this week Kasich (pictured at a campaign event in Troy, New York) reiterated that although he was a 'traditional marriage guy', he would allow the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of gay marriage to stand

Kasich has also spoken out against the North Carolina 'bathroom law',which orders public schools and government agencies to designate use of bathrooms by biological sex stated on a person's birth certificate

'I am watching what's happening in North Carolina, what happened in Indiana and Georgia and Mississippi.' 

'I want no discrimination against anyone, period, end of story.' 

'Now our religious institutions should be protected,' he continued. 'They should be able to do things they want.' 

Kasich went on to explain that although he believed anyone should be able to go into a cupcake store and buy something, it is a different situation when a same-sex couple tries to hire someone.

'If I'm a photographer and you want me to come to your wedding and I don't want to, find another photographer,' he said. 

Kasich also spoke out this week against the North Carolina 'bathroom law', which orders public schools and government agencies to designate use of bathrooms by the biological sex stated on a person's birth certificate.

It also prevents the state's cities and counties from passing their own anti-discrimination rules and instead imposes a statewide standard that leaves out sexual orientation and gender identity. 

In contrast fellow GOP contender Ted Cruz said he supported the law, saying 'men should not be going to the bathroom with little girls'.     

'Come on folks, we have to live together,' Kasich said during the New York event. 

'What do we want more laws? How about a little more tolerance and a little more respect?'  

Klein later revealed to ABC News that she was not satisfied with Kasich's answer, saying she was frustrated Kasich 'completely ignored' her question about conversion therapy. 

'He went straight to the wedding cake.'