Electn 2012 Shows A Social Sea Change On Gay Marriage | HuffPost Relign

marriage gay 2012

Across the U.S., a fierce bate is takg place between those who hope all gays and lbians will soon have the right to marry and those who believe that same-sex marriage is helpg to unrme heterosexual marriage. Read about the history and current stat of the same-sex marriage bate.

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GAY MARRIAGE

* marriage gay 2012 *

Supreme Court agreed to review a number of feral appeals urt cisns on same-sex marriage: one strikg down part of the feral Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which f marriage as a unn between a man and a woman, and another validatg California’s Proposn 8, a ballot measure passed 2008 that amend the state’s nstutn to ban gay marriage. Between the pol, a fierce battle is takg place ptg those who hope all gays and lbians, regardls of where they live, will soon have the right to marry agast those who believe that same-sex marriage is helpg to unrme heterosexual marriage, which they see as the foundatn of healthy fai.

While all laws legalizg same-sex marriage nta some nscience protectns allowg church and other relig groups to refe to marry gay and lbian upl, the legal ground is murkier for religly affiliated anizatns, such as hospals, schools and other social-service provirs, that may not want to grant benefs to the spoe of an employee a same-sex marriage or provi adoptn and other servic to a gay or lbian uple that are routely provid to heterosexual upl. Ined, the ordatn and marriage of gay persons has been a growg wedge between the socially liberal and nservative wgs of the Epispal, Lutheran and Prbyterian church, leadg some nservative ngregatns – and even whole dc – to break away om their natnal church as they bee more open to gay clergy and gay marriage.

Even though this cisn did not immediately lead to the legalizatn of gay marriage that state (the se was sent back to a lower urt for further nsiratn and Hawaiian voters ultimately approved a referendum leavg the issue the hands of the state’s legislature), did spark a natnwi backlash.

THE GAY MARRIAGE WDFALL

The U.S. Supreme Court stepped squarely to the same-sex marriage bate when agreed on Dec. 7, 2012, to review two important lower urt cisns volvg gay marriage. Fd out what that may mean for the future of same-sex marriage the U.S. * marriage gay 2012 *

While battl have been ragg many stat over whether to accept or ban same-sex marriage, a number of stat have enacted laws that tablish civil unns or domtic partnerships, both of which aim to give gay and lbian upl many or most of the rights and rponsibili of matrimony whout actually grantg them the right to wed. Although a voter-approved referendum (such as Proposn 8) serv great ference, Walker wrote, the ban on same-sex marriage blatantly discrimat agast a certa group of cizens – gays and lbians – and vlat their fundamental right to marry and their equal protectn rights, both of which are guaranteed unr the U. Early Years: Same-Sex Marriage Bans In 1970, jt one year after the historic Stonewall Rts that galvanized the gay rights movement, law stunt Richard Baker and librarian Jam McConnell applied for a marriage license Gerald Nelson rejected their applitn bee they were a same-sex uple, and a trial urt upheld his cisn.

” This lg effectively blocked feral urts om lg on same-sex marriage for s, leavg the cisn solely the hands of stat, which alt blow after blow to those hopg to see gay marriage beg 1973, for stance, Maryland beme the first state to create a law that explicly f marriage as a unn between a man and woman, a belief held by many nservative relig groups. In 1989, the San Francis Board of Supervisors passed an ordance that allowed homosexual upl and unmarried heterosexual upl to register for domtic partnerships, which granted hospal visatn rights and other years later, the District of Columbia siarly passed a new law that allowed same-sex upl to register as domtic partners. C., 1993, the hight urt Hawaii led that a ban on same-sex marriage may vlate that state nstutn’s Equal Protectn Clse—the first time a state urt has ever ched toward makg gay marriage Hawaii Supreme Court sent the se—brought by a gay male uple and two lbian upl who were nied marriage licens 1990—back for further review to the lower First Circu Court, which 1991 origally dismissed the the state tried to prove that there was “pellg state tert” jtifyg the ban, the se would be tied up ligatn for the next three Defense of Marriage Act Opponents of gay marriage, however, did not s on their hnch.

That is, even if a state ma gay marriage legal, same-sex upl still wouldn’t be able to file e tax jotly, sponsor spo for immigratn benefs or receive spoal Social Secury payments, among many other act was a huge setback for the marriage equaly movement, but transient good news arose three months later: Hawaii Judge Kev S. Phg for Change: Civil Unns The next saw a whirlwd of activy on the gay marriage ont, begng wh the year 2000 when Vermont beme the first state to legalize civil unns, a legal stat that provis most of the state-level benefs of years later, Massachetts beme the first state to legalize gay marriage when the Massachetts Supreme Court led that same-sex upl had the right to marry Goodridge v.

SHOULD GAY MARRIAGE BE LEGAL?

The road to full marriage equaly for same-sex upl the Uned Stat was paved wh setbacks and victori. The landmark 2015 Supreme Court se Obergefell v. Hodg ma gay marriage legal throughout the untry. * marriage gay 2012 *

Kansas and Texas were next 2005, and 2006 saw seven more stat passg Constutnal amendments agast gay towards the end of the , gay marriage beme legal var stat, cludg Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont (the first state to approve by legislative means) and New Hampshire. Domtic Partnerships Throughout the and the begng of the next, California equently ma headl for seawg on the gay marriage state was the first to pass a domtic partnership statute 1999, and legislators tried to pass a same-sex marriage bill 2005 and 2007. For the first time the untry’s history, voters (rather than judg or legislators) Mae, Maryland, and Washgton approved Constutnal amendments permtg same-sex marriage marriage also beme a feral issue 2010, Massachetts, the first state to legalize gay marriage, found Sectn 3 of DOMA—the part of the 1996 law that fed marriage as a unn between one man and one woman—to be unnstutnal.

Wdsor, nservative Jtice Anthony Kennedy sid wh Jtic Ruth Bar Gsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan favor of same-sex marriage rights, ultimately makg gay marriage legal across the natn June this time, was still outlawed only 13 stat, and more than 20 other untri had already legalized gay marriage, startg wh the Netherlands December 2000. But only about 50, 000 same-sex upl have married, acrdg to the Williams Instute for Sexual Orientatn Law and Public Policy at more stat legalize gay marriage, all of that pent-up mand uld trigger a weddg boom, sparkg enomic activy as more upl book venu, buy weddg k, jewelry and marriage licens, and secure hotel rooms for guts. Print Obama's support of marriage equaly for same-sex upl uld spur more stat to allow gay upl to legally marry and the eventual repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 feral law that rerv marriage for a man and a same-sex marriage rights were granted natnwi, same-sex weddgs would generate a $1 billn each year for the Feral budget over the next 10 years, acrdg to a 2004 report by Congrsnal Budget Office.

MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE

gay marriage, same sex marriag, Defense of Marriage Act, Obama * marriage gay 2012 *

Gay marriage has been a subtext of the 2012 printial mpaign for the last six months, after Print Barack Obama’s hand was forced on the issue by his vice print gettg “ahead of his skis” on a Sunday morng talk show and clarg his own support for legalizg same-sex marriage.

CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS ULD REMOVE NEXT YEAR

Sort through the more than 30 jurisdictns that have enacted laws allowg gays and lbians to marry. * marriage gay 2012 *

But Republin nomee Mt Romney is strongly agast gay marriage — and while some Republins are doubtful about whether the GOP nomee would move ahead wh a feral gay marriage ban, as he said he would durg the primary fights, Romney has laid out his posn clearly on the issue. Slovenia 2022EuropeFirst untry formerly munist Eastern Europe to legalize same-sex Ai 2006Sub-Saharan AiOnly Ain untry where same-sex marriage is legal; several untri on the ntent have passed laws that ban homosexualy recent 2005EuropeBeme the third untry globally to legalize same-sex marriage after a vote s closely divid 2009EuropeGay and lbian upl Swen prevly had been allowed to register for civil unns sce 1995. 1%) st ballots favor of legalizg same-sex marriage a 2021 2019Asia-PacificA urt lg prompted a change the law that ma Taiwan the first jurisdictn Asia to perm gays and lbians to Kgdom 2014EuropeLegal same-sex marriage took effect Northern Ireland 2020, six years after the change England and Wal.

CALIFORNIA VOTERS WILL BE ASKED TO REAFFIRM GAY MARRIAGE PROTECTNS ON 2024 BALLOT

Proponents ntend that gay marriage bans are discrimatory and unnstutnal, opponents ague that marriage is primarily for procreatn. * marriage gay 2012 *

'Authentilly myself'Ray said he had also stggled growg up gay the 1970s and 80s England, which was "tough" said his relig school "dmmed to you, 'you are gog to hell'" Adam returned home to Sdi Arabia, spe beg more than 3, 000 apart and later rtricted by the Covid-19 panmic, they kept touch daily and the romance years ago, Ray proposed on a vio ll and after succsfully applyg for a UK fiancé visa, Adam moved to Manchter December 2022.

CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS COULD REMOVE IT NEXT YEAR

Joe Bin’s long advocy for gay rights reached a historic moment when the print-elect named former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg as his transportatn secretary. If nfirmed, Buttigieg will bee the first openly LBGTQ Cabet member. But Bin’s support of the gay muny has at tim ed a stir. At a sensive moment 2012, then-Vice Print Bin advertently prodd his boss, Print Barack Obama, to speed up his public affirmatn of same-sex marriage. * marriage gay 2012 *

Adam said he had been aaid to even wear lours his home untry so the first thg he did when he moved was start to "grow my mullet, got my ears pierced and booked appotments for tattoos" relled how, ntrast, one of his gay iends Sdi had been forced to marry a woman, addg: "It has ed not only his life but the life of his wife. On July 25, 2014 Miami-Da County Circu Court Judge Sarah Zabel led Florida’s gay marriage ban unnstutnal and stated that the ban “serv only to hurt, to discrimate, to prive same-sex upl and their fai of equal digny, to label and treat them as send-class cizens, and to em them unworthy of participatn one of the fundamental stutns of our society. The Amerin Psychologil Associatn, Amerin Psychiatric Associatn, and others nclud that legal gay marriage giv upl “accs to the social support that already facilat and strengthens heterosexual marriag, wh all of the psychologil and physil health benefs associated wh that support.

A QUIET STGGLE WH THE GAY MARRIAGE FIGHT

California voters will be asked to affirm gay marriage rights on the 2024 ballot followg Prop. 8 ncerns about the state nstutn. * marriage gay 2012 *

2016 printial ndidate and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fra stated that civil unns are aquate as an equivalent to marriage: “Benefs are beg btowed to gay upl [ civil unns]… I believe we need to rpect those who believe that the word marriage has a spirual foundatn… Why n’t we rpect and tolerate that while at the same time sayg ernment nnot btow benefs unequally. Court papers filed July 2014 by attorneys fendg Arizona’s gay marriage ban stated that “the State regulat marriage for the primary purpose of channelg potentially procreative sexual relatnships to endurg unns for the sake of jog children to both their mother and their father… Same-sex upl n never provi a child wh both her blogil mother and her blogil father.

Lee Badgett, PhD, Director of the Center for Public Policy and Admistratn at the Universy of Massachetts at Amherst, stated that for many gay activists “marriage means adoptg heterosexual forms of fay and givg up distctively gay fay forms and perhaps even gay and lbian culture. Queer activist Anrs Zanichkowsky stated June 2013 that the then mpaign for gay marriage “tentnally and malicly eras and exclus so many queer people and cultur, particularly trans and genr non-nformg people, poor queer people, and queer people non-tradnal fai… marriage thks non-married people are viant and not tly servg of civil rights.

Matt Barber, Associate Dean for Onle Programs at Liberty Universy School of Law, stated, “Every dividual engaged the homosexual liftyle, who has adopted a homosexual inty, they know, tuively, that what they’re dog is immoral, unnatural, and self-stctive, yet they thirst for that affirmatn.

ROMNEY'S VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE: ALSO EVOLVG?

In 2012, Newsweek ran a magaze ver llg Barack Obama “Ameri’s First Gay Print.” The article gleefully ld Obama for his support and endorsement of gay marriage. Obama’s path to beg the LGBTQIA+ muny’s bt iend was all but evable. Perhaps was his missn om the o… * marriage gay 2012 *

A 2003 set of guil signed by Pope John Pl II stated: “There are absolutely no grounds for nsirg homosexual unns to be any way siar or even remotely analogo to God’s plan for marriage and fay… Marriage is holy, while homosexual acts go agast the natural moral law. In 2008, on the printial mpaign trail, he took an official posn agast a change marriage rights, though he let be known among his nfidants that his views were 2011 — while the Whe Hoe — he had e around: He privately told his advisers he approved of gay marriage.

Obama also end the Jtice Department’s legal fense of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which fed marriage as a unn of a man and a woman and allowed stat to refe to regnize same-sex marriag attaed other stat; the Supreme Court would le the law unnstutnal chafed at his own lack of thenticy on gay marriage.

Although there is no current threat to the legaly of gay marriage, and Print Bin signed a bill safeguardg last year, the Democratic-domant state Legislature is seekg to remove language om California’s Constutn that still f marriage as between a man and outdated state fn has been emed unenforceable and unnstutnal thanks to feral law, but LGBTQ advocy groups are askg voters to repeal and amend the California Constutn to stead explicly state that marriage is “a fundamental right.

HISTORY OF GAY MARRIAGE

Print Obama said his posn on gay marriage "evolved" over time, and a se n be ma that GOP printial ndidate Mt Romney's views on gay rights have changed as well. Though Romney says his posn has been nsistent; activists don't see that way. * marriage gay 2012 *

” At s 2010 natnal nventn, the LCMS rpond to the Evangelil Lutheran Church Ameri’s 2009 cisn (which gave ELCA ngregatns the optn to support lifelong, monogamo, same-sex relatnships) by rtatg the LCMS posn that homosexualy is a s “ any and all suatns” and by enuragg the ELCA to rensir s cisn. A., Evangelil Lutheran Church Ameri and the Uned Church of Christ at one time all barred same-sex weddg ceremoni and ordatn of gay clergy members, but they have changed those l over last holdout among major male Prottant groups has been the Uned Methodist Church, which had 7.

Randall Miller, assistant profsor of ethics at the Pacific School of Relign Berkeley, is chairman of the missn that aniz the Uned Methodists’ quadrennial General Conference April, when bishops and other legat om around the world will gather Florida to nsir proposed chang to church doctre, cludg elimatg the nmnatns of homosexualy. The se ma s way to the US Supreme Court, which dismissed an appeal 2013 over same-sex marriage on jurisdictnal grounds, lg private parti did not have standg to fend California’s voter-approved ballot measure barrg gay and lbian upl om state-sanctned wedlock. On May 9, 2012, Print Obama beme the first stg US print to clare his support for gay marriage, statg: “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.

Six other stat which gay marriage bans had been overturned, Colorado, Kansas, North Carola, South Carola, Wt Virgia, and Wyomg, were also affected by the Supreme Court lg bee they were the jurisdictns of the lower urts that had overturned the gay marriage bans.

COSTLY TOLL FOR REPUBLINS WHO VOTED FOR GAY MARRIAGE

The llapsed ndidaci New York are jarrg for gay rights advot who had hoped to e the electns to persua other Republins to cross the aisle on the issue. * marriage gay 2012 *

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTChick-fil-A Thst Back Into Spotlight on Gay RightsJuly 25, 2012ATLANTA — A Southern-ied chicken sandwich on a soft whe bun wh a uple of pickle slic is fast beg the culary symbol of one of the untry’s major social Baptist fay that owns Chick-fil-A, a fast-food cha based Atlanta, has for years given lns of dollars to anizatns fightg same-sex marriage and supportg heterosexual protts agast s posn have swelled and reced over the past uple of years, but recently the battle has spilled to the halls of cy ernments and the printial mpaign.

CHICK-FIL-A THST BACK INTO SPOTLIGHT ON GAY RIGHTS

Read CNN’s Fast Facts on same-sex marriage and learn more about gay marriage legislatn around the world. * marriage gay 2012 *

Equaly Matters, an onle vtigative anizatn dited to gay and lbian issu, last year obtaed tax rerds that showed that the pany’s operators, s WShape Foundatn and the Cathy fay had given lns of dollars to groups whose work clus featg same-sex marriage iativ and providg therapy tend to change people’s sexual Mr. Others, like Jeff Graham, the executive director of the gay rights group Geia Equaly, say they are not sure this prott will be any more succsful than prev efforts, which Graham said he was more terted enuragg the pany to wre a rporate anti-discrimatn policy that clus gays and he do not know, he said, if he will show up for the kiss-.

ELECTN 2012 SHOWS A SOCIAL SEA CHANGE ON GAY MARRIAGE

Electn 2012 Shows A Social Sea Change On Gay Marriage * marriage gay 2012 *

Obama’s endorsement of gay marriage, the first ever om a stg print, me amid growg prsure for the print to clarify his prevly muddled opn, as two senr members of his admistratn announced personal support for gay marriage and a day after voters North Carola approved a state nstutnal amendment fg marriage as a unn between a man and a woman. Obama’s claratn of support for gay marriage was hotly anticipated — and actively sought — among many LGBT and progrsive voters who were trated that the print would not speak out favor of gay marriage spe a rerd on other gay rights issu that clus repealg “don’t ask, don’t tell” and endg the Jtice Department’s fense of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Obama’s pivot me close on the heels of Vice Print Joe Bin’s acknowledgement Sunday on “Meet the Prs” that he is “absolutely fortable” wh men marryg men and women marryg women, and Edutn Secretary Arne Dunn’s affirmatn an terview Monday on MSNBC that he also supports gay marriage.

Though supportg gay marriage uld put them at odds wh other Christians, Obama said that when he and his wife thk about their fah, “the thg at root that we thk about is, not only Christ sacrificg himself on our behalf, but ’s also the Goln Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated.

CHICK-FIL-A GAY FLAP A 'WAKP CALL' FOR COMPANI

Obama said late 2010 that his views on gay marriage were “evolvg, ” and sce then admistratn officials have poted to those ments, strsg that Obama is a supporter of gay rights who has overseen the end of “don’t ask” and whose Jtice Department has stopped fendg the Defense of Marriage Act. (RNS) Three tim over, voters ma history on Electn Day, endorsg mov to allow gay marriage Mae, Maryland and Washgton the same time, Mnota voters rejected a ballot measure that would have enshred an anti-gay marriage law their nstutn, and neighborg Wisns elected Tammy Baldw as the untry's first openly gay U.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* MARRIAGE GAY 2012

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style="max-width:1000px">When Bin went off-script on same-sex marriage</h2><div class="flex prt-byle prt-mt-none"><div class="byle-wrapper flex-lumn flex"><div class="PJLV PJLV-ihSmMVC-css"><div class="PJLV PJLV-iPJLV-css mb-xxs overriStyl" style="gap:0.5rem" data-qa="thor-byle"><span class="wpds-c-PJLV"><div class="flex ems-center" data-qa="thor-byle"><div class="mr-sm flex lh-0"><div class="wpds-c-iTcer"><img src=" alt="" class="wpds-c-dgBqAZ"/></div></div><span class="left"><div class="flex"><div class="dib font-xxs" data-qa="name-wh-optnal-lk" data-cy="name-wh-optnal-lk"><span data-qa="attributn-text" class="wpds-c-cNdzuP">By <!-- --> </span><a data-qa="thor-name" href=" rel="thor" class="wpds-c-cNdzuP wpds-c-cNdzuP-ejzZdU-isLk-te">Steven Levgston</a></div></div></span></div></span></div></div><div data-ttid="timtamp" class="wpds-c-kgabfe wpds-c-kgabfe-ieEDlgV-css"><span data-ttid="display-date" class="wpds-c-iKQyrV">January 11, 2021 at 12:50 p.m. EST</span></div></div></div></hear></div><article class="grid-article mb-xxl-ns" data-qa="ma"><div data-ttid="le-art" data-qa="le-art" class=""><figure class="overflow-hidn relative hi-for-prt center center mb-sm mb-md-ns ml-to-ns mr-to-ns grid-mobile-full-bleed"><div style="filter:blur(10px);transn:filter .1s;le-height:0" class="w-100 mw-100 h-to" width="600" height="388"><img style="background-size:ver;max-width:1600px;background-image:url('data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http%3A//; xmlns%3Axlk='http%3A//; viewBox='0 0 1280 853'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' lor-terpolatn-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGssianBlur stdDeviatn='.5'%3E%3C/feGssianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA type='discrete' tableValu='1 1'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage filter='url(%23b)' x='0' y='0' height='100%25' width='100%25' xlk%3Ahref='data%3Aimage/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAkAAAAGCAIAAACepSOSAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAs0lEQVQI1wGoAFf/AImSoJSer5yjs52ktp2luJuluKOpuJefsoCNowB+kKaOm66grL+krsCnsMGrt8m1u8mzt8OVoLIAhJqzjZ2tnLLLnLHJp7fNmpyjqbPCqLrRjqO7AIeUn5ultaWtt56msaSnroZyY4mBgLq7wY6TmwCRfk2Pf1uzm2WulV+xmV6rmGyQfFm3nWSBcEIAfm46jX1FkH5Djn5AmodGo49MopBLlIRBfG8yj/dfjF5TUAAAAASUVORK5CYII='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E')" alt="" class="w-100 mw-100 h-to" width="600" height="388" srcSet=" 400w, 540w, 691w, 767w, 916w, 1200w" siz="(max-width: 440px) 440px,(max-width: 600px) 691px,(max-width: 768px) 691px,(m-width: 769px) and (max-width: 1023px) 960px,(m-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1299px) 530px,(m-width: 1300px) and (max-width: 1439px) 691px,(m-width: 1440px) 916px,440px" dg="async"/></div><figptn class="ml-gutter mr-gutter mr-to-ns ml-to-ns font--subhead font-xxxs mt-xs left gray-dark">Kev Barragan, om left, and his partner, Adam Smh, along wh Kelly Miller and her wife, Ldsey Miller, celebrate the Supreme Court's cisn to allow same-sex marriag on June 26, 2015. The Millers were married two years before Washgton State. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washgton Post) </figptn></figure></div><div class="grid-body"><div class="wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-PJLV-hSmMVC-isLuf2-false"><div class="wpds-c-jUMcim wpds-c-jUMcim-ibVGacg-css hi-for-prt mb-sm"><div class="PJLV PJLV-ieDMgMI-css flex ems-center" nfig="[object Object]" data-qa="article-actns"><div class="wpds-c-mfMEg"><div class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-hnjNCH wpds-c-kSOqLF-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-biynoz-nsy-pact wpds-c-kSOqLF-hZSyid-isOutle-te wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left wpds-c-kSOqLF-futx-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-eNNUQD-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-jGqLyO-cv"><button aria-label="Comment" class="wpds-c-gPbxFP"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="var(--wpds-lors-primary)" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-kKAfCG wpds-c-efqEZa flex ems-center jtify-center brad-lg poter transn-400 ease--out transn-lors" aria-label="Comment on this story"><tle>Comment on this story</tle><path d="M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z"></path></svg></button><span aria-hidn="te" class="wpds-c-fBEbFG">Comment</span><span class="wpds-c-fOvfhP wpds-c-fOvfhP-kshkDy-isCommentType-te none" aria-hidn="te"><span class="ment-unt font-xxxxs sc-ral-unt"><span class="ral-unt unfed" data-ral-notext="te"></span></span></span></div></div><div class="wpds-c-mfMEg"><div class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-hnjNCH wpds-c-kSOqLF-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-biynoz-nsy-pact wpds-c-kSOqLF-hZSyid-isOutle-te wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left wpds-c-kSOqLF-futx-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-eNNUQD-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-jGqLyO-cv"><div class="dib poter" data-qa="gift-share"><div aria-label="Gift this story" aria-ntrols="gift-share" aria-owns="gift-share" id="gift-share-ntrol" class="" aria-haspopup="te" aria-expand="false" role="button" tabx="0"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" class="wpds-c-dJBvpf wpds-c-PJLV" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><path d="M10.73 5h.14a1.75 1.75 0 0 0 1-2.25 1.83 1.83 0 0 0-.51-.75 1.72 1.72 0 0 0-1.48-.35 1.76 1.76 0 0 0-1.2.94L8 3.93l-.68-1.4A1.76 1.76 0 0 0 4 3.59 1.74 1.74 0 0 0 5.13 5H2v4h1v5h10V9h1V5ZM9.58 3a.77.77 0 0 1 .51-.4h.17a.73.73 0 0 1 .47.17.72.72 0 0 1 .27.71.72.72 0 0 1-.48.58l-1.77.66ZM5 3.43a.72.72 0 0 1 .27-.71.73.73 0 0 1 .47-.17h.17a.77.77 0 0 1 .51.4l.83 1.7L5.48 4A.74.74 0 0 1 5 3.43ZM3 6h4.5v2H3Zm1 3h3.5v4H4Zm4.5 4V9H12v4ZM13 8H8.5V6H13Z" data-name="Path 10"></path></svg></div></div><span aria-hidn="te" class="wpds-c-fBEbFG">Gift<!-- --> <span class="PJLV PJLV-ikqOWxF-css">Article</span></span></div></div><div class="dib poter" data-qa="wpds-tooltip-ntrol"><div aria-ntrols="actns-tooltip" aria-owns="actns-tooltip" id="actns-tooltip-ntrol" class="" aria-haspopup="te" aria-expand="false"><div class="wpds-c-mfMEg"><div class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-hnjNCH wpds-c-kSOqLF-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-biynoz-nsy-pact wpds-c-kSOqLF-hZSyid-isOutle-te wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left wpds-c-kSOqLF-futx-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-eNNUQD-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-jGqLyO-cv"><div tabx="0" aria-label="Share" class="PJLV PJLV-ietWzJw-css"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-dJBvpf wpds-c-dJBvpf-iPJLV-css "><path d="M14 14H2V7h1v6h10V7h1Zm-5.5-2h-1V3h1Z"></path><path d="M10.29 5.71 11 5 8 2l-.71.71L5 5l.71.71L8 3.42l2.29 2.29z"></path></svg></div><span aria-hidn="te" class="wpds-c-fBEbFG">Share</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="teaser-ntent grid-center"><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null"><i>Joe Bin’s long advocy for gay rights reached a historic moment when the print-elect named former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg as his transportatn secretary. If nfirmed, Buttigieg will bee the first openly LBGTQ Cabet member. But Bin’s support of the gay muny has at tim ed a stir. At a sensive moment 2012, then-Vice Print Bin advertently prodd his boss, Print Barack Obama, to speed up his public affirmatn of same-sex marriage.</i></p></div></div><div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="db dn-ns mr-neg-gutter ml-neg-gutter mb-md hi-for-prt" data-qa="subscribe-promo"><div data-orientatn="horizontal" role="separator" class="wpds-c-dbVHzF wpds-c-dbVHzF-hDkAcj-variant-flt"></div><a class="pt-sm pb-sm flex ems-center bold font-xxxs font-xxs-ns jtify-center" href=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="lor:#166dfc;borr:none"><svg class="ntent-box" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns=" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><tle>Wp</tle><path d="M11.055 8.728l-1.018-1.019-.782.782v6.292l1.782 1.564.018-.019v-7.6zm-4.11.236L5.674 7.71l-.836.855v6.237l1.545 1.327.564-.636V8.964zm2.656 9.074l-2.528-2.182-1.927 2.182-2.619-2.255v-3.564h-.509c-.454 0-.672.273-.745.636H1.09a2.89 2.89 0 0 1-.091-.69c0-.473.2-1.71 1.527-1.71V7.691c0-1.073-.709-1.127-.709-2.054 0-1.037.982-2 2.782-2.637l.164.145c-.6.291-1.09.655-1.09 1.437 0 1.2 1.163.89 1.163 2.782v.727l2.127-2.236 2.237 2.2 2.109-2.2 2.036 2v6.728l-3.745 3.455zm11.108-9.625l-1.073-.982-.964 1.018v6.6c.855.11 1.491.4 2.019.964l.018-.018V8.413zm-2.382.418l-.528.545v10.237l.528.492V8.83zm1.49 9.055c-.308-.382-.69-.709-1.145-.836v3.782l-.036.018-1-.927-2.11 1.945-.036-.018V16.96c-.636.145-1.327.545-1.854 1.2l-.146-.091c.127-1.4.818-2.436 2-2.837v-3.545h-.382c-.527 0-.89.363-.963.763h-.219c-.054-.145-.127-.381-.127-.836 0-.891.6-1.564 1.582-1.564h.11V8.085l-.655-.582-.51.51-.254-.237 2.018-2.073 1.71 1.564V9.05l.527-.564v-2.09h.345v1.727l2.273-2.419L23 7.576v7.91l-3.182 2.4z" fill-le="evenodd"></path></svg><span class="mr-xs ml-xs gray-darkt flex ems-center">Get the full experience.<span class="ml-xs subs-theme blue">Choose your plan</span></span><svg class="ntent-box" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16" xmlns=" style="fill:#166dfc" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><tle>ArrowRight</tle><path d="M7.664 1.25l6 6a1 1 0 010 1.414l-6 6L6.25 13.25 10.499 9H2V7h8.585L6.25 2.664 7.664 1.25z" fill-le="nonzero"></path></svg></a><div data-orientatn="horizontal" role="separator" class="wpds-c-dbVHzF wpds-c-dbVHzF-hDkAcj-variant-flt"></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The official lnch of Obama’s reelectn mpaign was slated for the first weekend May 2012. First, Obama was to hold back-to-back ralli on Saturday, May 5, the battleground stat of Oh and Virgia. Then, on Sunday, Vice Print Bin was to h the airwav on NBC’s “Meet the Prs.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Bin, known for gog off-script, had been rigoroly prepped and remd of his missn: Stay on msage.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">When he took his seat on the set of NBC’s Washgton stud, Bin projected the image of the print’s litenant a crisp charal su, whe shirt and blue-striped tie. But when host David Gregory asked about a sensive unrolved issue hangg over the admistratn, Bin veered om the mpaign playbook. “You know,” Gregory began, “the print has said that his views on gay marriage, on same-sex marriage, have evolved. But he’s opposed to . You’re opposed to . Have your views … evolved?”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Bin acknowledged that he had ed evolved on the issue — faster and further than the print. Several weeks earlier, Bin had admted a private meetg Los Angel wh 30 advot for gay and lbian rights that his view differed om Obama’s, and he’d told the group that he had to keep his opn to himself. But now, on natnal televisn, he spoke om the heart.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Look,” Bin began. “I jt thk — that — the good news is” — he set his elbows on the table and terlaced his fgers, almost prayerlike. Same-sex marriage, he explaed, me down to “a simple proposn: Who do you love?” He repeated for emphasis: “Who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person you love?” He explaed that most people believed that was what all marriag were about, “whether they’re marriag of lbians or gay men or heterosexuals.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Realizg he’d strayed to ntroversial terrory, Bin strsed he was speakg for himself personally, not for the Whe Hoe. “I — I — look, I am vice print of the Uned Stat of Ameri. The print sets the policy,” he observed. And he elaborated on his own view: “I am absolutely fortable wh the fact that men marryg men, women marryg women, and heterosexual men and women marryg another” — he slowed down now to make his pot perfectly clear — “are entled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberti. And que ankly, I don’t see much of a distctn beyond that.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The Obama team’s refully choreographed mpaign kickoff had sudnly explod: The vice print had announced, on live TV, that he favored same-sex marriage while the print, as everyone knew, lagged behd him. In their book, “Double Down: Game Change 2012,” Mark Halper and John Heilemann reported the shock of David Plouffe, Obama’s 2008 mpaign manager who was now a senr adviser to the print. When Plouffe read the transcript of Bin’s “Meet the Prs” terview, he cried: “What the f---? How n this have happened?”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">What ma Bin so appealg — that on the public stage he was more heart than sense — also ma him furiatg. In his most thentic moments, the polished senr polician was not much different om the impulsive, sometim reckls, schoolboy he once was. Back Scranton, Pa., at age 8 or 9, Joey accepted a dare om a iend to n unr a dump tck as moved slowly back and forth at a nstctn se. The iend never thought Joey would do , but young Bin was fearls. “The dump tck was load to the gills and backg up — not too fast — and Joey was small,” wrote Richard Ben Cramer “What It Tak,” his 1992 book on printial polics, “and he ran unr the tck om the si, between the ont and back wheels … then let the ont axle pass over him. If <i>touched </i>him, he was fished — marmala — but Joey was quick. The ont wheels missed him clean.” In his portra of Bin’s abortive n for the princy 1988, Cramer saw the child the adult: “Joe Bin had balls. Lots of tim, more balls than sense.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">After his unequivol claratn on same-sex marriage, Bin told Gregory about that private meetg he had had wh gay advot Los Angel. Durg the meetg’s qutn-and-answer perd, Bin reunted, one of the men wanted to know: “Let me ask you, how do you feel about ?”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">In reply, Bin sgled out a gay uple at the meetg. He had vised the two men their home and met their two adopted children, and when he had walked to the hoe, the kids, ag 7 and 5, had hand Bin flowers. The vice print repeated for the natnal televisn dience what he had said to those two men at the private meetg: “I wish every Amerin uld see the look of love those kids had their ey for you guys. And they wouldn’t have any doubt about what this is about.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Bin’s remarks put Obama a tough posn. Plouffe feared the polil repercsns of the print alterg his view on gay marriage, and he had persuad Obama to keep quiet on the issue. In Plouffe’s timatn, a direct Obama statement favorg gay marriage was too risky ahead of the 2012 general electn.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Over the years Obama had shifted his stand on the issue. In Chigo 1996, when he ran for an Illois state Senate seat, he told a gay newspaper a qutnnaire that he favored legalizg same-sex marriage. But 2004 as a U.S. Senate ndidate he asserted that marriage was somethg jt for a man and a woman. In 2008, on the printial mpaign trail, he took an official posn agast a change marriage rights, though he let be known among his nfidants that his views were evolvg.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">By 2011 — while the Whe Hoe — he had e around: He privately told his advisers he approved of gay marriage. But for public circulatn, his ais wanted only to promote the le that he was “evolvg.” To some liberals, Obama’s reticence reflected a lack of polil urage. Obama “has liberal stcts and will effectuate progrsive reforms,” wrote Harvard law profsor Randall Kennedy his book “The Persistence of the Color Le,” “but only if he n do so whout gettg unfortably close to what he perceiv to be too high a polil price.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">As print, Obama monstrated his sympathy for the rights of the gay muny. He led and won the repeal of the Clton-era “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which nied openly gay Amerins the right to serve the ary. Obama also end the Jtice Department’s legal fense of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which fed marriage as a unn of a man and a woman and allowed stat to refe to regnize same-sex marriag attaed other stat; the Supreme Court would le the law unnstutnal 2013.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Obama chafed at his own lack of thenticy on gay marriage. His wife, Michelle, and his longtime iend and adviser Valerie Jarrett told him to disregard the polics and simply clare publicly what he felt. David Axelrod, the chief strategist for both Obama printial mpaigns, and Dan Pfeiffer, a senr printial adviser, unseled the print that voters rpond better to a ndidate who livered his own unvarnished tth.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Before Bin went on “Meet the Prs,” the Whe Hoe had been nsirg ways for Obama to speak his md. Ais had drawn up an elaborate strategy allowg the print to seize on gay marriage as a major civil rights issue. A blueprt for his announcement had slowly e together. The game plan had the print appearg at an LGBT event New York on May 14 followed by a vis to ABC’s daytime talk show “The View” to reveal his change of heart. “I was jt manial about orr and planng,” Plouffe explaed “Obama: An Oral History 2009-2017″ by Brian Abrams. He regnized that a historic moment lay before the print. “I wanted to be the print’s moment.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">But the choreographed scenar Plouffe and others had put together cmbled as soon as Bin spoke hontly on “Meet the Prs.” The media reactn was swift and overwhelmg. The Associated Prs clared, “Obama’s Vague Gay Marriage Stance Unr Scty.” The Boston Herald warned, “Veep’s Marriage ‘Gaffe’ an Issue for Prez.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">While Obama’s ais railed over Bin, the print was more annoyed at the appearance of Whe Hoe chaos than at Bin’s remarks, for he knew his sentiments were ncert wh the vice print’s. By Monday, the Whe Hoe was losg ntrol of the issue. Obama’s advisers watched aghast as Edutn Secretary Arne Dunn echoed Bin’s view on MSNBC’s “Morng Joe” polil talk show. When asked if he believed that same-sex men and women should be able to get legally married, Dunn promptly replied: “Y, I do.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">When asked, “Have you ever said that publicly before?” Dunn answered bluntly: “I don’t know I’ve ever been asked publicly.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">For the terview, Dunn sat a stud Washgton, takg the qutns through an earpiece. His staff was standg by listeng to his answers but uldn’t hear the qutns. The words same-sex<i> marriage </i>never me out of the tn secretary’s mouth. Afterward, Dunn relled, his staff walked out wh him and said, “Oh, that terview went really well.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Dunn had no ia he’d stepped to a mefield. He hadn’t watched the Sunday talk shows and missed the ensug brouhaha. Reflectg later, Dunn said he was pleased at the way he answered the unexpected qutn. Like Bin, he’d spoken om the heart. “I did whout thkg,” he said. “I was actually very relieved that I jt told the tth.” He didn’t want to sound like a Washgton polician who equivoted or dodged an issue. “That’s not who I wanted to be,” he said.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">But soon enough he realized his role the risg storm. Now both Bin and Dunn advertently had prsured the print on same-sex marriage. “It may have ed short-term pa,” Dunn observed. “But I knew where the print’s heart was on this. You know, he hadn’t said publicly, but I knew down ep exactly what he thought. Frankly I thk the vice print and I actually accelerated gettg him to where his heart was.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The print and his ais had not yet sorted out their strategy. On Monday, prs secretary Jay Carney gave an unfortable briefg at the Whe Hoe where his reply to reporters’ qutns was a monotono: “I have no update on the print’s personal views.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">On Tuday, the print’s staff — realizg his silence was untenable — reached out to Rob Roberts, anchor of ABC’s “Good Morng Ameri.” The print, Roberts was rmed, wanted to tape a one-on-one terview wh her the followg day — but what exactly the print wanted to say wasn’t ma clear.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">In the Cabet Room on Wednday, Obama and Roberts sat facg leather chairs. The settg evoked the granur of ernance and important cisns: gold curtas at the whe French doors, a bt of Benjam Frankl pridg om a rner. Obama, lookg printial a blue su, had an Amerin flag over his shoulr, and a view out a wdow showed the peaceful Whe Hoe grounds.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Roberts asked the qutn of the moment: “Mr. Print, are you still opposed to same-sex marriage?”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">His answer was so strikg — g om a stg print — that ABC News broke to the work’s afternoon programmg wh a special report, anchored by Gee Stephanopoulos and Diane Sawyer. Sawyer announced, “Big breakg news om the Whe Hoe. This is a historic polil and cultural moment this untry, and the issue: gay marriage.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The anchors then cut to Roberts statned after the terview ont of the Whe Hoe. She provid a ltle background on the week then Obama me on the screen, his voice lm and reflective, que ntrast to the hysterics of the past three days: “I have to tell you, as I’ve said, I’ve — I’ve been gog through an evolutn on this issue. I’ve always been adamant that gay and lbian Amerins should be treated fairly and equally. … I’ve stood on the si of broar equaly for the LGBT muny. And I had hated on gay marriage — part, bee I thought civil unns would be sufficient. … But I have to tell you that over the urse of several years, as I talk to iends and fay and neighbors. When I thk about members of my own staff who are credibly mted, monogamo relatnships — same-sex relatnships — who are raisg kids together. When I thk about those soldiers or airmen or Mar or sailors who are out there fightg on my behalf and yet feel nstraed … bee they’re not able to m themselv a marriage. 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.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The print’s shift on same-sex marriage was promptly sucked to the journalistic maw — reported, bated, discsed prt, onle and on televisn. NBC broke to s regular programmg, nng s petor’s sop. CNN also shed onto the air wh s “Breakg News” logo acpanied by a sizzlg sound and Wolf Blzer cryg out, “Tly historic and potentially watershed moment. … Wh the electn ls than six months away, the polil implitns are enormo.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The next day, “Good Morng Ameri” aired a clip of Roberts and the print strollg along the Whe Hoe lonna, birds chirpg loudly the background.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Roberts asked about Bin’s remarks the prev Sunday: “Did he jump the gun a ltle here?”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Obama seemed unperturbed, notg that he’d already cid to announce his posn before the electn. He lightly chastised his vice print, and a way that revealed what he unrstood about Bin. Certaly the vice print was impetuo, but, the print knew, Joe red eply about the way Amerins were treated.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Barack said of his iend, “He probably got out a ltle b over his skis — out of generosy of spir.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Plouffe’s nsternatn over the polil risk to the print turned out to be unfound. In his genuo way, Bin had nudged the print to fall le wh the mood of the untry. A Gallup poll that week found that 50 percent of Amerins said they supported legal rights for gays wishg to marry; 65 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of pennts agreed, while 22 percent of Republins approved.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">As print, Obama now owned the issue. If Bin had stolen his thunr briefly, the vice print now reced to the background. By speakg up, Bin had thrown a sharp spotlight on the civil rights of gays. But now the aclas were all Obama’s. “It has always taken strong natnal learship to expand equal rights this untry,” the New York Tim wrote, “and has long been obv that marriage rights are no exceptn. Print Obama offered some of that learship on Wednday.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Durg her terview, Roberts had asked the print, “So you’re not upset wh anybody?”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Acknowledgg the bumps along the way, Obama said he would have preferred to have had all evolve a ltle more smoothly.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“But,” he add, “all’s well that ends well.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Steven Levgston is nonfictn edor of The Washgton Post and thor of “Barack and Joe: The Makg of an Extraordary Partnership,” om which this article has been adapted.</p></div><div class="wpds-c-ipATMk wpds-c-ipATMk-hCiGAB-removeMobileStyl-te"><div class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css"><div class="wpds-c-jjHkyS wpds-c-jjHkyS-icEohIP-css hi-for-prt"><div data-qa="ntent" class="wpds-c-dgPYWO wpds-c-dgPYWO-iPJLV-css"><h3 data-qa="lkbox-headle" class="wpds-c-jtAZFm">Print Joe Bin: What you need to know</h3><p class="wpds-c-eynqHn"><b>Coronavis: </b><a href=">Whe Hoe mt go further on new panmic rponse, say former Bin advisers, outsi experts</a></p><p class="wpds-c-eynqHn"><b>Fact checker: </b><a href=">The false and misleadg claims Bin ma durg his first 100 days office</a></p><p class="wpds-c-eynqHn"><b>The Bin Cabet:</b> <a href=">Who has been selected </a></p><p class="wpds-c-eynqHn"><b>Bin appote:</b> <a href=">Who is fillg key rol</a></p></div><div class="wpds-c-eZxssT"></div></div></div><div class="PJLV flex mt-md tt"><div class="mb-lg-mod" data-qa="ments-btn-div"><button aria-label="Scroll to the ments sectn" data-qa="ments-btn" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-SQjOY-variant-sendary wpds-c-kSOqLF-eHdizY-nsy-flt wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left ments hi-for-prt"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-fBqPWp "><path d="M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z"></path></svg><span class="ral-unt unfed" data-ral-notext="te"></span> Comments</button></div><div class="wpds-c-dXjReQ"><button id="gift-share-shortcut" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-SQjOY-variant-sendary wpds-c-kSOqLF-biynoz-nsy-pact wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left hi-for-prt ml-sm"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-dJBvpf "><path d="M10.73 5h.14a1.75 1.75 0 0 0 1-2.25 1.83 1.83 0 0 0-.51-.75 1.72 1.72 0 0 0-1.48-.35 1.76 1.76 0 0 0-1.2.94L8 3.93l-.68-1.4A1.76 1.76 0 0 0 4 3.59 1.74 1.74 0 0 0 5.13 5H2v4h1v5h10V9h1V5ZM9.58 3a.77.77 0 0 1 .51-.4h.17a.73.73 0 0 1 .47.17.72.72 0 0 1 .27.71.72.72 0 0 1-.48.58l-1.77.66ZM5 3.43a.72.72 0 0 1 .27-.71.73.73 0 0 1 .47-.17h.17a.77.77 0 0 1 .51.4l.83 1.7L5.48 4A.74.74 0 0 1 5 3.43ZM3 6h4.5v2H3Zm1 3h3.5v4H4Zm4.5 4V9H12v4ZM13 8H8.5V6H13Z" data-name="Path 10"></path></svg><span class="wpds-c-iSKIAI">Gift this article</span>Gift Article</button></div></div><div class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css"></div><div class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css"><div></div></div><div class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css"><div></div></div><sectn class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css dn-ns hi-for-prt" data-ttid="mostRead" subscriptns-sectn="ntent"><div data-ttid="lazy-most-read-parent" class=""><div style="m-height:800px"></div></div></sectn><div class="PJLV PJLV-ickXkbz-css"><div data-qa="newsletter" class="hi-for-prt relative"><div class="dib w-100"><div><div class="flex jtify-center align self-center center transn-all duratn-400 ease--out" data-qa="sc-newsletter-signup" aria-label=""><svg aria-labelledby="react-aria-1-aria" role="img" viewBox="0 0 100 80"><tle id="react-aria-1-aria">Loadg... .

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