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Thursday 10 May 2012

Gay Marriage: Obama says 'yes'

Barack Obama has become the first sitting president to announce his support for same-sex marriage.

This is brilliant.

Watch:




In a sit-down interview with [US TV] ABC's Robin Roberts, Obama spoke about the evolution of his opinion on the matter.

"I've always been adamant that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally," Obama told Roberts..
Here is what he said (same as video above):


"I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, 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," Obama said.


On the other hand, on Tuesday evening [US time], the state of North Carolina passed an amendment that defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The president has expressed his disappointment with this stance. [See a rather comical view on this, below].


As the political pressure mounted, the president finally chose to speak out Wednesday, with the White House hastily scheduling a sit-down interview.
“It’s interesting, some of this is also generational,” the president said. “You know when I go to college campuses, sometimes I talk to college Republicans who think that I have terrible policies on the economy, on foreign policy, but are very clear that when it comes to same sex equality or, you know, believe in equality. They are much more comfortable with it. 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.”


The part that got me 'right there' is the discussions with his girls.



So: thoughts?

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