PoliFact | Print Barack Obama's shiftg 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'
• OBAMA’S LATT ‘EVOLUTN’ ON GAY MARRIAGE: HE LIED ABOUT OPPOSG , AXELROD SAYS
• AXELROD: OBAMA MISLED NATN WHEN HE OPPOSED GAY MARRIAGE IN 2008
• OBAMA SAYS HE DIDN'T MISLEAD ON GAY MARRIAGE

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.

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

"(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. 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.

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

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?

AXELROD: OBAMA MISLED NATN WHEN HE OPPOSED GAY MARRIAGE IN 2008

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. 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. "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.

OBAMA SAYS HE DIDN'T MISLEAD ON GAY MARRIAGE

“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 he ran for the Democratic printial nomatn 2007 and 2008, Obama spoke at a fom sponsored by the gay advocy group, the Human Rights Campaign. ”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. ”He said civil unn for gays and lbians “wouldn't be a lser thg (than marriage), om my perspective.