The 'evolutn' of Obama's stance on gay marriage

Contents:

• 'LOVE IS LOVE': OBAMA LDS GAY MARRIAGE ACTIVISTS HAILG 'A VICTORY FOR AMERI'
• OBAMA'S SPEECH (TEXT): TRANSCRIPT OF PRINT OBAMA'S SPEECH ABOUT GAY RIGHTS
• THE 'EVOLUTN' OF OBAMA'S STANCE ON GAY MARRIAGE
• FORCG OBAMA’S HAND ON GAY MARRIAGE
• OBAMA PRAIS SUPREME COURT'S DECISN TO LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE NATNWI

'LOVE IS LOVE': OBAMA LDS GAY MARRIAGE ACTIVISTS HAILG 'A VICTORY FOR AMERI'

“Love is love, ” clared Barack Obama, the aftermath of the supreme urt’s landmark cisn on gay marriage on a speech the Whe Hoe Rose Garn, the print warmly embraced the urt’s 5-4 cisn Obergefell v Hodg as a step towards makg “our unn a ltle more perfect”.

The print publicly endorsed same-sex marriage 2012 and referenced the ph for gay marriage his send gural speech. Oh senator Rob Portman, a supporter of gay marriage, said: “I would have preferred for this issue to be rolved by the mocratic procs the stat bee I thk you build a more lastg nsens that way. However, the supreme urt has led that state bans on gay marriage are unnstutnal, and I will rpect the urt’s cisn.

In clarg, “Our journey is not plete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else unr the law” Obama not only clared himself abstractly for “gay rights”, he placed the rights at the heart of the central ials of the Amerin story. Obama’s riff on gay and lbian rights then begs a very specific way which very skillfully lks to both adaptatn to new challeng and llective actn.

OBAMA'S SPEECH (TEXT): TRANSCRIPT OF PRINT OBAMA'S SPEECH ABOUT GAY RIGHTS

In this extraordary claratn, Obama not only clar that adaptg to, and fightg for, gay and lbian rights is important, but that the fight for the rights, which stems om the 1969 Stonewall rts, should be placed on the same footg as the fight for women’s rights at Sene Falls and the fight for racial equaly at Selma. Here the print effectively placed the fight for gay and lbian rights wh the myth of the ongog Amerin revolutn. 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.

But his cln of such a statement an gural addrs, a key rual moment of Amerin mocracy, and his cln of this claratn the ntext of the fight for women’s and civil rights marks yet another tone the story of gay and lbian cizenship.

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

In this refully crafted speech, Obama not only laid a claim for gay and lbian equaly and same sex marriage; he was layg a claim that any nstutnal value of equaly do not have an origal or fundamentalist meang, rather one that nstantly evolv. This is fundamentally at odds wh our own Prime Mister Julia Gillard, who appeals to the importance of tradn and “herage” her own refal to acknowledge the marriage rights of gay and lbian Atralians. ABC broke to s daytime lp May 9, 2012, to announce a historic shift: the print of the Uned Stat clarg his personal support for 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. In 1996, as he ran for Illois state Senate, Chigo’s Outl gay newspaper asked ndidat to fill out a qutnnaire. "(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.

FORCG OBAMA’S HAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

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. He offered an explanatn that would prage his 2012 shift: "I thk that is an issue that I wrtle wh and thk about bee I have a whole host of iends who are gay partnerships. Obama, a nsistent supporter of civil rights for gay upl, neverthels said as early as 2004 and through 2008 that he didn’t support same-sex marriage.

) I want to thank the Human Rights Campaign for vg me to speak and for the work you do every day pursu of equaly on behalf of the lns of people this untry who work hard their jobs and re eply about their fai -- and who are gay, lbian, bisexual, or transgenr. And you're makg a 's the story of the movement for fairns and equaly, and not jt for those who are gay, but for all those our history who've been nied the rights and rponsibili of cizenship -- (applse) -- for all who've been told that the full blsgs and opportuni of this untry were closed to them.

It's the story of an epimic that cimated a muny -- and the gay men and women who me to support one another and save one another; who ntue to fight this surge; and who have monstrated before the world that different kds of fai n show the same passn a time of need. ) My expectatn is that when you look back on the years, you will see a time which we put a stop to discrimatn agast gays and lbians -- whether the office or on the battlefield. ) You will see a natn that's valug and cherishg the fai as we build a more perfect unn -- a unn which gay Amerins are an important part.

OBAMA PRAIS SUPREME COURT'S DECISN TO LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE NATNWI

)It is no secret that issu of great ncern to gays and lbians are on that raise a great al of emotn this untry. )And that is why -- that's why I support ensurg that mted gay upl have the same rights and rponsibili afford to any married uple this untry. ) I believe strongly stoppg laws signed to take rights away and passg laws that extend equal rights to gay upl.

That's why I ntue to speak about the importance of equaly for LGBT fai -- and not jt ont of gay dienc. So when the officer told Jeanne that her son had been arrted, which was happeng often to gay protters, she was not entirely ught off guard.