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

Contents:

• THE 'EVOLUTN' OF OBAMA'S STANCE ON GAY MARRIAGE
• OBAMA'S GAY MARRIAGE NTROVERSY: 'I AM JT NOT VERY GOOD AT BULLSHTG'
• DID MICHELLE OBAMA FILE FOR DIVORCE AFTER BARACK ADMTED HE WAS GAY?
• OBAMA’S LATT ‘EVOLUTN’ ON GAY MARRIAGE: HE LIED ABOUT OPPOSG , AXELROD SAYS

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

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.

I am not favor of gay marriage. In 1996, as he ran for Illois state Senate, Chigo’s Outl gay newspaper asked ndidat to fill out a qutnnaire. Gay marriage?

I am not a supporter of gay marriage as has been thrown about, primarily jt as a strategic issue. "(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.

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

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. I've always been adamant that — gay and lbian — Amerins should be treated fairly and equally. And I had hated on gay marriage — part, bee I thought civil unns would be sufficient.

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. Fox News, "OBAMA FLIP FLOPS ON GAY MARRIAGE, " May 9, 2012. POLITICO, "Evolve: Obama gay marriage quot, " May 9, 2012.

CNN Transcripts, "Anrson Cooper 360: Polics of Gay Marriage; Same-Sex Marriage Flip-Flop? MTV, "Barack Obama Answers Your Qutns About Gay Marriage, Payg For College, More, " Nov. POLITICO's Unr the Radar blog, "Obama says he's evolvg on gay marriage, " Oct.

DID MICHELLE OBAMA FILE FOR DIVORCE AFTER BARACK ADMTED HE WAS GAY?

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. And 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. "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.

OBAMA’S LATT ‘EVOLUTN’ ON GAY MARRIAGE: HE LIED ABOUT OPPOSG , AXELROD SAYS

OCTOBER 2011: "I'm still workg on , " Obama said when asked by ABC's Gee Stephanopoulos whether he would move om supportg civil unns for same-sex upl to supportg gay marriage. But I thk that there's no doubt that as I see iends, fai children of gay upl who are thrivg, you know, that has an impact on how I thk about the issu. Print Barack Obama told an ABC terviewer that he supports gay marriage.

Carolyn Kaster / APBy Wednday his views had evolved to the posn that gay and lbian rights advot had urged upon him sce 2004. " At that time, he also dited that civil unns were aquate for gays and lbians. ”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.