In an interview on Wednesday, May 9, with ABC, President Barack Obama openly announced, as the first President to do so, that he supports same-sex marriage, a historic decision that will have tremendous political consequences.
“At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married,” said Obama during the interview.
Obama had previously been accused by critics and political opponents of equivocating on the issue of same-sex marriage. Sometimes he used his Christian faith to oppose same-sex marriage, such as in 2004, saying that he believed in the traditional sanctity between a man and a woman and that civil unions were adequate.
At other times, he reconciled his faith and his politics by saying that as a Christian, he saw no contradiction in embracing same-sex couples.
For Obama, it has been a process of “coming out of the closet” as an ally. In December 2010, he repealed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” which was a military ban on openly LGBT service members. Initially Obama and his administration defended the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which says that states do not have to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. In February 2011, Obama and his administration announced that they would no longer support DOMA in court.
Continuously being pressured by his many frustrated lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) supporters and donors to fully come out as an ally, Obama was recently forced to face the controversial issue when Vice President Joe Biden publicly declared on Sunday that he was “comfortable” with same-sex marriage. According to Perry Bacon, the political editor of NBC News website TheGrio.com, it would have been harmful for the president and the vice president to seem divided on any issue.
Initially, the Obama administration carefully stated that Biden’s opinions did not necessarily reflect Obama’s. Ultimately, it is clear now where Obama stands on the issue.
Obama said that his daughters, Malia and Sasha, influenced his stance because they had friends whose parents were the same sex.
“It wouldn’t dawn on [Malia and Sasha] that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently,” Obama said. “It doesn’t make sense to them and, frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.”
After meeting with appreciative LGBT service members who can now serve openly in the military and after seeing his own staff members in “incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together,” Obama has concluded that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.
There will be political downsides to his decision. Religious African Americans, Catholic Latinos and the older generation often oppose same-sex marriage, and according to the National conference of State Legislatures, 38 states prohibit same-sex marriage.
Obama will be depending heavily on the vote of his younger generation and middle-class population, two constituencies in which there is a majority that advocate for same-sex marriage. More socially-conservative Democrats who are against abortion as well as same-sex marriage may still vote for Obama based on fiscal issues.
Obama may lose some key votes in this next election. North Carolina, a state that Obama barely won during his last presidential election, has always been a key state to win over. On Tuesday, just a day before Obama’s declaration of supporting same-sex marriage, North Carolina voted to ban same-sex unions in the state. Eight out of ten of the swing states ban same-sex marriage.
“There’s no way that declaring his support will gain more votes,” said a LGBT youth who identifies as bigender and bisexual and wishes to remain anonymous. “Maybe [he will gain] more money, but he will be losing votes from those who oppose same-sex marriage, since it is such a divisive debate.”
Always keeping the upcoming election in mind, Obama’s campaign quickly took charge, sending out a message to supporters for donations.
Within minutes, people were calling to donate. One Los Angeles donor even pledged $10,000 and will be flying to New York with his partner to attend a fundraiser for Obama, on Monday.
Obama’s choice to step out has released a wave of financial but also emotional support from LGBT members.
“I feel really good,” said the anonymous LGBT youth. “To have a supporter as influential as the president himself really shows that it gets better.”
During the ABC interview, Obama talked about the importance of his Christian faith that preached love and the Golden Rule. “I figure the most consistent I can be in being true to those precepts [of ‘treating others the way you want to be treated’], the better I’ll be as a dad and a husband and hopefully the better I’ll be as president.”
It is not clear whether there will be any federal changes as of right now. In 2006, Obama said that decisions about marriage should be left to the states. There was nothing in Wednesday’s interview that indicated whether or not this political opinion has evolved as well.
although i thought you could’ve added a more personal aspect to the article (it seemed a lot more like what you would read just on a news website rather than something more jsr kids/parents could relate to) i still thought this was coolbeans!
your writing style flows really well too 🙂
(also omg i cannot tell you how much i love your bio)
I love the title–very clever!
I also think you could have added a deeper perspective of the various reactions and views, rather than mostly just on the facts. This was a very informative article and kudos for the video and images.