President Barack Obama said in an interview with ABC that "it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married."
With his Wednesday announcement, the president reversed his longstanding position on the issue. It came on the heels of his own vice president and education secretary saying they were in favor of gay marriage.
According to an ABC blog post, Obama further described his thought process as an "evolution" that progressed as he discussed the issue with staff members, gay and lesbian service members and his own family.
He said he thinks Americans are growing increasingly comfortable with the concept of gay marriage and cited his own daughters' views on the matter.
“It’s interesting, some of this is also generational,” he said. “You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents.
"And Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them, and frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.”
Read CNN's full coverage of President Barack Obama's stance on gay marriage
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Post by: CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin Filed under: Barack Obama • Civil Rights • District of Columbia • Gay and lesbian • Politics • U.S. |
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Well at least he can stop lying about it now.
OBAMA WILL SELL YOU OUT FOR THE ALL MIGHTY DOLLAR , HE NEEDS FOR RE ELECTION . THIS COUNTRY NEEDS A CHANGE, AND NOT FROM HIM
Hoo boy. Haters, start your engines. Or better yet, your aneurysms.
Lol...too true.
CNN!!! Please stop calling it "GAY" marriage! It's just Equal Marriage for All! I don't "GAY" walk my dog, "GAY" go to work every day, or "GAY" pay my taxes. Thanks!
and yet you choose for it to define you
Um...no, but that's how YOU choose to define him...
self-hating?
I don't know what is sadder? That it took so long for us to get to this point or reading some of the comments on this story.
Boom!! Let the Chaos begin
Nasty gay people!!!!
"truth", get back on your meds, you;re delusional
obomo said he was a christian but now he proven he lied.
Equal rights for all is not about religion, separation of church and state.
Roger, that's not a very Christian thing to say.
Even christians agree that people should be treated equally and fairly. I don't think Christ ever said – treat those who differ from you poorly. Let the church decide who they will marry in a church. And let the state choose who it will recognize as married couples and provide benefits to.
"Christian" doesn't mean anti-gay, or anti-equality rights any more than it means anti-westernization, anti-freedom, or anti-slavery. Sadly, it does often mean unreasonable, close minded, and void of intelligent thought process. One can be a follower of son of man, Jesus Christ, and still be accepting of who people are, and see them on equal footing. After all, he did. ^_^
Omg, I could almost cry. Crazy religious cult people DON'T run our country and someone thinks everyone should be treated equally! 😀
obomber has claimed he belongs the xtian death cult.
so glad he took the time to really think it through before making his feelings known – makes it all the more likely to be a heartfelt conclusion and not just an off-the-cuff, politically expedient statement.
I feel like celebrating and I'm not even gay.
I know! I feel the same way. It's an historic day!
Why cant they have 2 definitions of marriage? Civil Union: Just 2 people making a couple (family) and Religious Union: Man and Women (as designated by the church) why cant both be treated with kindess and respect???
In a way this is smart of him. Anything he can do to draw the conversation away from his performance on the economy is a smart move for his campaign.
Very sad! I weep for the u.s.. America turn back to God,u'd forgotton you root.. SAD!
speak/write English?
When was god ever a big part of the founding of our country? Was in when they added In God We Trust post civil war? Was it Under God in the Pledge in the 1950's? Only crazy religious people want this to be a church run country. Maybe you should go to Africa, they have plenty of countries there that practice everything you wish for, and they just love god over there! U'd fit right in!
Thank you, President Obama! Thank you for your leadership on this issue!