Sen. Dianne Feinstein's evolution on gay marriage...

California Senator Dianne Feinstein, long been a supporter of gay rights, has now fully embraced marriage equality. She discussed her journey during a recent interview with Maureen Dowd on "NBC Nightly News."

"I think as more and more people have gay friends, gay associations, see gay heroism, that their views change," Feinstein said in the interview. "I think people are beginning to look at it differently, I know it's happened for me. "I started out not supporting it. The longer I've lived, the more I've seen the happiness of people, the stability that these commitments bring to a life. Many adopted children who would have ended up in foster care now have good solid homes and are brought up learning the difference between right and wrong. It's a very positive thing."

It was Feinstein who found the body of slain San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk 30 years ago this week and she also discussed the horror of that in the NBC piece:

"I was the one who found his body," she said. "To get a pulse, I put my finger in a bullet hole. It was a terrible, terrible time in the city's history." In the midst of all of the sadness she also became the city's acting mayor: "I inherited a city that was stunned and divided. The divisions were fueled by both hatred and sorrow. Over time, we were able to put the city back together, but the events of that day will remain seared in our memories forever."