OBAMA GIVES SUPPORT FOR SAME SEX MARRIAGE
By Gigi
Late Tuesday afternoon, May 9, 2012, President Barack Hussein Obama decided to get off the fence and come out in favor of gay marriage. President Obama already rolled back “don’t ask, don’t tell” and is no longer defending the Defense of Marriage Act which he stated, “tried to federalize what is historically state law.”
“I have stood on the side of broader equality for the community,” he stated in an interview; “I hesitated on gay marriage in part because I thought civil unions would be sufficient, that was something that would give people hospital visitation rights and other elements we take for granted. And I was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people the word marriage was something that evokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs, and so forth.” The decision to talk comes after Obama was put on the spot when Vice-President Biden expressed his support for same sex unions on Sunday. That was followed by a similar statement from education secretary Arne Duncan the following day.
President Obama’s hesitation to initially give full support to gay marriage has been seen as politically expedient as he knows it is still unpopular with many voters. North Carolina voted on Tuesday to amend its state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, a decision that Obama called “disappointing.” A Gallup poll this week showed 50 percent of Americans now support gay marriage, but the ideological divide was clear with 65 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of independents in favor. However only 22 percent of Republicans say they support same-sex marriages.
By Gigi
Late Tuesday afternoon, May 9, 2012, President Barack Hussein Obama decided to get off the fence and come out in favor of gay marriage. President Obama already rolled back “don’t ask, don’t tell” and is no longer defending the Defense of Marriage Act which he stated, “tried to federalize what is historically state law.”
“I have stood on the side of broader equality for the community,” he stated in an interview; “I hesitated on gay marriage in part because I thought civil unions would be sufficient, that was something that would give people hospital visitation rights and other elements we take for granted. And I was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people the word marriage was something that evokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs, and so forth.” The decision to talk comes after Obama was put on the spot when Vice-President Biden expressed his support for same sex unions on Sunday. That was followed by a similar statement from education secretary Arne Duncan the following day.
President Obama’s hesitation to initially give full support to gay marriage has been seen as politically expedient as he knows it is still unpopular with many voters. North Carolina voted on Tuesday to amend its state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, a decision that Obama called “disappointing.” A Gallup poll this week showed 50 percent of Americans now support gay marriage, but the ideological divide was clear with 65 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of independents in favor. However only 22 percent of Republicans say they support same-sex marriages.
posted by Gigi @ 12:33 PM
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