Obama and Gay Marriage | The New Yorker

Contents:

• THE 'EVOLUTN' OF OBAMA'S STANCE ON GAY MARRIAGE
• OBAMA'S GAY MARRIAGE NTROVERSY: 'I AM JT NOT VERY GOOD AT BULLSHTG'
• CHANGG VIEWS OF GAY MARRIAGE: A DEEPER ANALYSIS
• OBAMA’S VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE ‘EVOLVG’
• HIGH-PROFILE POLICIANS WHO CHANGED THEIR POSNS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• DISSECTG PRINT OBAMA'S 'EVOLUTN' ON GAY MARRIAGE
• SECTN 1: LTLE CHANGE VIEWS OF GAY MARRIAGE FOLLOWG OBAMA’S ANNOUNCEMENT
• OBAMA AND GAY MARRIAGE
• TIMELE OF OBAMA’S GAY MARRIAGE VIEWS
• BIN PROV TALYST FOR OBAMA ON GAY MARRIAGE

THE 'EVOLUTN' OF OBAMA'S STANCE ON GAY MARRIAGE

While the print has nsistently supported civil rights for gay upl — pepperg his ments wh specifics such as hospal visatn, transfer of property and Social Secury benefs — his discsn of marriage has differed.

"(But) is my obligatn not only as an elected official a pluralistic society, but also as a Christian, to rema open to the possibily that my unwillgns to support gay marriage is misguid, jt as I nnot claim fallibily my support of abortn rights. Still, a 2007 Democratic primary bate sponsored by a gay rights group and a gay-oriented ble TV channel, he spoke stead about his support for civil unns wh "all the benefs that are available for a legally sanctned marriage" — but not for legal regnn of "marriage" between same-sex upl. Senate mpaign, addg, “but what I also believe is that we have an obligatn to make sure that gays and lbians have the rights of cizenship that afford them visatns to hospals, that allow them to transfer property to each other, to make sure they’re not discrimated agast on the job.

” He wrote: “And I was remd that is my obligatn, not only as an elected official a pluralistic society but also as a Christian, to rema open to the possibily that my unwillgns to support gay marriage is misguid … that J’ ll to love one another might mand a different ncln.

OBAMA'S GAY MARRIAGE NTROVERSY: 'I AM JT NOT VERY GOOD AT BULLSHTG'

”Acrdg to Chigo’s Daily Herald, while Obama was nng for Senate early 2004, he told the newspaper’s edorial board that the gay rights stggle was parable to the 1960s civil rights movement, sayg that his father and mother wouldn't have been allowed to marry some Southern stat. "So 's not as if I'm not sympathetic to the ia that … polics shouldn't get the way if somethg's right, " Obama told the then he add that gay rights advot had to make strategic cisns and phg for same-sex marriage wasn’t necsarily the bt strategy. “What I also tell my gay and lbian iends is, look, if I was, you know, functng the early '60s tryg to get the Votg Rights Act passed and the Civil Rights Act passed, then I might not lead polilly wh, you know, tryg to reverse anti- miscegenatn laws....

But Obama's spokman, Robert Gibbs, said, "Barack Obama is opposed to gay marriage but believ civil unns as a policy, and sendly, our posn on a nstutnal amendment (limg marriage to heterosexuals) is exactly the same posn as Vice Print Dick Cheney's that 's unnecsary. ”When HRC print Joe Solomone suggted that Obama’s stand sound to gays and lbians like the discreded “separate but equal” doctre that was ed for s to jtify racial discrimatn, Obama reverted to the tactil argument: “if I were advisg the civil rights movement back 1961 about s approach to civil rights, I would have probably said 's ls important that we foc on an anti- miscegenatn law than we foc on a votg rights law and a non- discrimatn and employment law and all the legal rights that are nferred by the state. "Until Congrs pass legislatn repealg the law, the admistratn will ntue to fend the statute when is challenged the jtice system, " Schmaler and Attorney General Eric Holr changed their posn Febary 2011 when Holr announced the admistratn would not fend the nstutnaly of Sectn 3 of DOMA as applied to same-sex married upl the two s filed a feral appeals urtBut as of last summer Obama was still disappotg his gay and lbian supporters by repeatg his view that marriage was an issue for each state to ci.

”Obama replied “what you're seeg is a profound regnn on the part of the Amerin people that gays and lbians and transgenr persons are our brothers, our sisters, our children, our s, our iends, our -workers, and that they've got to be treated like every other Amerin. What do mean is that we have a set of tradns place that, I thk, need to be prerved, but I also thk we need to make sure that gays and lbians have the same set of basic rights that are place. "I thk what you're seeg is a profound regnn on the part of the Amerin people that gays and lbians and transgenr persons are our brothers, our sisters, our children, our s, our iends, our -workers, and that they've got to be treated like every other Amerin, " he said.

CHANGG VIEWS OF GAY MARRIAGE: A DEEPER ANALYSIS

“Opposn to gay marriage was particularly strong the black church, and as he ran for higher office, he gdggly accepted the unsel of more pragmatic folks like me, and modified his posn to support civil unns rather than marriage, which he would term a ‘sacred unn’, ” Axelrod wr.

Sce takg office, Print Obama and his Admistratn have ma historic stris to expand opportuni and advance equaly and jtice for all Amerins, cludg Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr (LGBT) Amerins. Insurance pani are no longer able to discrimate agast anyone due to a pre-existg ndn, and bee of the law, surers n no longer turn someone away jt bee he or she is lbian, gay, bisexual, or transgenr.

OBAMA’S VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE ‘EVOLVG’

Print Obama veloped and released the first prehensive Natnal HIV/AIDS Strategy for the Uned Stat 2010, updated through 2020, and is implementg to addrs the dispari faced pecially by gay and bisexual men of all rac and ethnici and transgenr women of lor. The Print signed bipartisan legislatn to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell on December 22, 2010, allowg gay, lbian, and bisexual Amerins to serve openly the Armed Forc whout fear of beg dismissed om service bee of who they are and who they love, puttg motn the end of a discrimatory policy that ran unter to Amerin valu.

Over the next two years, the iative has veloped and evaluated strategi to prevent lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr youth om beg homels or tervene as early as possible once they do bee homels. Media ptn, Obama: "Same sex upl should be able to get married"US Print Barack Obama has end months of hedgg on the issue of gay marriage by sayg he thks same-sex upl should be able to has bee the first stg US print to back gay marriage.

Mt Romney, the Republin who is set to challenge Mr Obama for the Whe Hoe November's electns, promptly said he was agast gay recent days, Vice-Print Joe Bin and bet member Arne Dunn had exprsed support for gay unns. "At a certa pot, I've jt nclud that for me personally is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I thk same-sex upl should be able to get married, " Mr Obama told poted to his admistratn's mment to creasg rights for gay cizens.

HIGH-PROFILE POLICIANS WHO CHANGED THEIR POSNS ON GAY MARRIAGE

"In 2010, Mr Obama said his views on the issue were "evolvg", a stance that had trated gay rights supporters and ments aired on Wednday e a day after North Carola approved a nstutnal amendment effectively banng same-sex marriage or civil unns. Meanwhile, Mr Romney set the stage for an electn year clash over the polarisg social issue by sayg he was agast gay former Massachetts ernor told a Fox News affiliate: "I do not favour marriage between people of the same genr, and I do not favour civil unns if they are intil to marriage other than by name. “The argument that the Obama admistratn has ma is the Supreme Court should look at the laws very refully bee gays and lbians are a group that have been subject to discrimatn the past, ” said Amy Howe, a legal analyst and edor of, “‘and will be subject to discrimatn gog forward.

But 36 stat have specific laws blockg gays and lbians om legally marryg, a pot ma by “tradnal” marriage supporters when dismissg any natnwi social momentum toward acceptance of homosexuals beg allowed to wed. Gay rights groups had privately urged Obama and his top ais over a perd of many months to go beyond his prev personal rhetoric support of the marriage right, and e down “on the si of history” this legal stggle. The msage was reaffirmed broad strok at the January gural addrs: “Our journey is not plete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else unr the law – for if we are tly created equal, then surely the love we m to one another mt be equal as well.

At the time though, he utned the urt was not endorsg the ia of same-sex marriage, sayg the private nduct se at hand “do not volve whether the ernment mt give formal regnn to any relatnship that homosexual persons seek to enter. He’s heard om folks—gay and lbian iends, staff members long-term, lovg relatnships, as well as brave young servicemen and women he got to know through the fight to end Don’t, Ask Don’t Tell.

DISSECTG PRINT OBAMA'S 'EVOLUTN' ON GAY MARRIAGE

’ — and that is the cx of the matter: Rpect for the prciple of equal treatment, and an acknowledgment that the human yearng for love n lead to an equally human yearng for fay… mment to gay marriage puts him on the right si of history, and monstrat his willgns to embrace the future. New York Daily News: “In A Natnal Conversatn That Has Moved Wh Unprecented Speed, Wednday Was A Landmark: Print Obama Pronounced Himself Personally Supportive Of Gay Marriage…Obama’s Statement, Personal Though It Is, May Move The Conversatn Further.

” “In a natnal nversatn that has moved wh unprecented speed, Wednday was a landmark: Print Obama pronounced himself personally supportive of gay marriage…, speakg wh ABC News’ Rob Roberts, he explaed his shift by sayg of himself and the First Lady: ‘We are both practicg Christians, and obvly this posn may be nsired to put at odds wh the views of others, but, you know, when we thk about our fah, the thg at root that we thk about is, not only Christ sacrificg Himself on our behalf, but ’s also the goln le, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated.

SECTN 1: LTLE CHANGE VIEWS OF GAY MARRIAGE FOLLOWG OBAMA’S ANNOUNCEMENT

Kansas Cy Star: “In A Natnal Conversatn That Has Moved Wh Unprecented Speed, Wednday Was A Landmark: Print Obama Pronounced Himself Personally Supportive Of Gay Marriage… Time Is Clearly Turng. Baltimore Sun: “Print Barack Obama's Announcement That He Supports Gay Marriage Is A Hearteng Development In The Campaign For Equaly, And It Is Commendable That He Ma His View Public Before The November Electn Rather Than Afterward. ” “Print Barack Obama's announcement that he supports gay marriage is a hearteng velopment the mpaign for equaly, and is mendable that he ma his view public before the November electn rather than afterward….

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTJune 18, 2011WASHINGTON — Drivg across the flatlands of Illois wh Barack Obama durg the Senate race of 2004, Kev Thompson sometim found himself tutorg the ndidate on gay Thompson, then a travelg ai, rells long nversatns about topics like the 1969 Stonewall Rebelln that sparked the gay rights movement, gay adoptn — Mr.

OBAMA AND GAY MARRIAGE

”Many gay lears say bee the print has a strong rerd on issu they re about — proddg Congrs to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which barred openly gay men and lbians om servg the ary, and whdrawg legal support for the Defense of Marriage Act, which f marriage as between a man and a woman — he is not unr tense prsure to announce a change his posn before the 2012 electn. But wh the polil climate around gay rights changg drastilly — a handful of recent polls show that Amerins, by a slim majory, now support same-sex marriage — some strategists see ltle polil st to a shift posn. Bh, who opposed gay marriage and set the admistratn's policy on the Cheney did not actively lobby for same-sex marriage as vice News' Jonathan Karl asked Cheney July whether he wished he had more actively lobbied for same-sex marriage.

"Cheney said he do not thk gay marriage should be a relevant issue printial Bin text:Vice Print Joe Bin beme the send nsecutive vice print to voice public support for gay marriage, beatg Print Obama to the May 2012, the vice print dited a changg policy on the issue wh the Obama Admistratn when he appeared on NBC's "Meet the Prs". "I am absolutely fortable wh the fact that men marryg men, women marryg women and heterosexual men and women marryg one another are entled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberti, " Bin vice print's statement ed a flurry of rpons om both the media and the ernment bee the print set the tone for gay marriage policy.

TIMELE OF OBAMA’S GAY MARRIAGE VIEWS

Print Obama also announced his support for gay marriage a few days later, even though he said Bin got "a ltle over his skis" on the Obama text:Six months before his send printial electn, Print Obama announced his support for gay marriage May 2012. Many believe the print's new stance helped galvanize support for his mpaign the fal months leadg up the 2012 electn, which he his send gural addrs, Print Obama cemented his posn on gay marriage for the duratn of his princy by lkg the gay marriage stggle to civil rights movements of the past. Huntsman officially reversed his opposn to gay marriage an op-ed piece the Amerin Conservative Febary the piece, Huntsman discsed how the Republin Party would benef om embracg gay marriage legislatn and how marriage should be a source of happs for all people.

Huntsman has joed 76 Republins who signed on to the legal brief support of gay marriage the Supreme Court's upg lg on the Defense of Marriage Barrtext:Bob Barr led the legislative bate ncerng same-sex marriage by thorg and sponsorg the ntroversial Defense of Marriage Act, which was enacted act stated that stat would only ferally regnize marriag between men and women. Addnally, the act stated that stat had the optn of not regnizg same-sex marriag performed outsi of the stat where the uple the act was passed and enforced, Barr has officially rcd his ial posn on same-sex marriage and apologized for the portn of the legislatn preventg same-sex marriage regnn at the 2008 Libertarian supports the Rpect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage more about how the same-sex marriage bate has changed sce Cltontext:Former Print Bill Clton signed the Defense of Marriage Act to effect 1996, signalg a lack of support for gay marriage his admistratn's act ferally regnized marriag between men and women, not between homosexual upl.

The act also allowed dividual stat the optn of not regnizg same-sex marriag that were performed outsi of the stat where the uple signg DOMA, Clton signed "don't ask, don't tell, " a policy that allowed homosexuals servg the ary to keep their sexualy secret. Crics of the policy said Clton was not gog far enough preventg same-sex discrimatn, while the print's admistratn mataed that the act's purpose was to ter homosexual ary members om 1996 Clton told LGBT magaze, The Advote, that he was stnchly rooted his opposn for the legislatn.

BIN PROV TALYST FOR OBAMA ON GAY MARRIAGE

This has been my long-standg posn, and is not beg reviewed or nsired, " Clton after leavg the Oval Office, Clton voiced his official support of gay marriage 2009 durg an appearance at the Camp Progrs Natnal Conference Washgton. March 25, 2013 — -- The Supreme Court will hear arguments two landmark s on same-sex marriage this week, nearly 11 months after Print Obama first announced his support of marriage for same-sex upl, a cisn he reached as part of an "evolutn" over the an terview wh ABC News' Rob Roberts May, Print Obama stated his personal support for same-sex marriage, beg the first print to back marriage publicly for gay and lbian upl.