In an exclusive interview with ABC News, President Barack Obama announced of his support of gay marriage– an endorsement that he described as a “personal conviction.” The President said, “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.” Though President Obama has supported civil rights and unions for gay couples, he often claimed that his views on same-sex marriage were still “evolving,” much to the dismay of gay rights groups and his Democratic base.
Obama’s announcement comes on the heels of an interview with Vice President Joseph Biden on Meet the Press last Sunday, where Biden said he was “absolutely comfortable” with the idea of same-sex marriage. In addition, the President’s endorsement lends support to gay couples in North Carolina who learned yesterday that voters in the state passed an amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
One reason it has taken so long for President Obama to affirm his support was simply because same-sex marriage is still a highly divisive and politically-charged issue, according to Keith Boykin, editor of the Daily Voice.
Breaking Down Obama’s Stance on Gay Marriage from National Constitution Center on FORA.tv
