SAN FRANCISCO—For years, rumblings have surfaced on the Internet, conjecture about her casual references to “sexual orientation” and “respect.”

Now, Dear Abby is ready to say it flatly: She supports same-sex marriage.

“I believe if two people want to commit to each other, God bless ‘em,” the syndicated advice columnist told The Associated Press. “That is the highest form of commitment, for heaven’s sake.”

What Jeanne Phillips, aka Abigail Van Buren, finds offensive and misguided are homophobic jokes, phrases like “That’s so gay,” and parents who reject or try to reform their children when they come out of the closet.

Her views are the reason she was honored last week by Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. The original Abby, Phillips’ 89-year-old mother, Pauline, helped put PFLAG on the map in 1984 when she first referred a distraught parent to the organization.

“I’m trying to tell kids if they are gay, it’s OK to be gay,” Phillips said.