May 9, 2012

Obama Endorses Gay Marriage....


Historic day today... Barack Obama became the first sitting US President to endorse gay marriage... and sure he could have done it earlier, or he could have done it as part of the Democratic platform, but still, what a huge historic moment. It got better!

Obama's announcement, after refusing to take a clear stand for months, cheered gay rights groups who have long urged him to support gay marriage. It also highlights a clear divide with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who opposes gay marriage. Polling suggests the nation is evenly divided on the issue.

"I have hesitated on gay marriage in part because I thought that civil unions would be sufficient," Obama said on Wednesday in an interview. He added that, "I was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people the word `marriage' was something that invokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs and so forth." Now, he said, "it is important for me personally to go ahead and affirm that same-sex couples should be able to get married."

This is a huge moment in the ongoing history of the civil rights movement and marriage equality. Huge!

As with all things gay, I am going to leave the last word to gay icon and advocate Bette Midler, who tweeted: I always knew something had to replace disco, but I never dreamed it would be marriage!