Obama Supports Gay Marriage Rights

[Andara Bledin]

I haven't seen the full interview, but it's just starting to hit the news outlets and floating around Twitter.

At a certain point I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.

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[Nekojin]

I have to shake my head at some of the strident Liberals who hate Obama. Before, they hated him because he was against gay marriage, then lukewarm against gay marriage. Now, they hate him because he's "pandering" - that he doesn't really believe in gay marriage, he's just saying it because it's politically convenient.

Is it completely impossible that he could actually learn, grow, and change his opinion over time? Come on, don't be so damned cynical. I'm a cynic, and even I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[bex1218]

With people on the news all the time saying how they are as human as any straight person. They can be as nice or asshole-like as anyone else. Politics is a hard thing to be in. People judge you on everything that you do. ANd they will put that in a campaigne against you.

[crashhelmet]

I have to shake my head at some of the strident Liberals who hate Obama. Before, they hated him because he was against gay marriage, then lukewarm against gay marriage. Now, they hate him because he's "pandering" - that he doesn't really believe in gay marriage, he's just saying it because it's politically convenient.

Is it completely impossible that he could actually learn, grow, and change his opinion over time? Come on, don't be so damned cynical. I'm a cynic, and even I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The funny thing is that I can't recall ever seeing anything where he came out and said he was against it. Sure, people told me he was, but I can't remember ever hearing the words from his own mouth.

On the Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night, they showed a a news clip from 2009 showing a document Obama signed in 1996 that said he fully supports gay marriage.

[bex1218]

I remember a debate going on between him and McCain. They both didn't support it then. Or was I hearing that wrong?

[Nekojin]

The funny thing is that I can't recall ever seeing anything where he came out and said he was against it. Sure, people told me he was, but I can't remember ever hearing the words from his own mouth.

I believe that the quote used to claim that he was "against" gay marriage was some pre-election clip of him saying that a marriage was between a man and a woman. I don't even know if it's contextually sound - he may not have been talking about gay marriage at all. Here's a link to a Yahoo article discussing his stance. Even with the full, accurate quotation, it's not clear what context the statement is being made in.

[Greenday]

Now, they hate him because he's "pandering" - that he doesn't really believe in gay marriage, he's just saying it because it's politically convenient.

Isn't that what this is? If he doesn't actually put any real effort forth in creating equality, clearly he doesn't support it that much. Honestly, it just feels like he's trying to get support from just yet one more group.

[crashhelmet]

It looks like it comes down to what his definition of a "marriage" is. It's semantics.

He says in 2004 that:

" What I believe is that marriage is between a man and a woman … What I believe, in my faith, is that a man and a woman, when they get married, are performing something before God, and it's not simply the two persons who are meeting,"

Which would explain why he pushed the civil union issue. The evolution that's taking place is to consider "marriage" a secular act.

If that's the case, I'd have to agree with him in the fact that if a gay couple wants to be "legally joined" (term used for the purpose of my point) then they should have the right. If a church wants to have a say in who they perform "legally joining ceremonies" for within their walls, then they have that right as well.

But let's get rid of this marriage vs civil union vs domestic partnership crap and call it what it is. The same thing. Pick a name and use it for them all.

[Seifer]

Good for him for flat-out stating his beliefs. Politicians usually dance around touchy subjects and don't give their opinion either way.

[KnitShoni]

But let's get rid of this marriage vs civil union vs domestic partnership crap and call it what it is. The same thing. Pick a name and use it for them all.

In order to do that, people will have to acknowledge that marriage is not a religious institution in and of itself. Marriage is a contract. If the couple getting married want to make their god party to that contract, they are welcome to do so. If the couple getting married don't believe in a god, that does not make their marriage any less valid. Religious people don't seem to understand that.

[Andara Bledin]

One of the articles I read (at Discovery) goes on about how part of the reason that he's come out specifically on the side of being in favor of marriage equality is because of discussions with his children, who have friends who have parents who are same-sex couples.

His comment is, "It wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. It doesn't make sense to them and frankly, that's the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective."

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[HYHYBT]

Before, they hated him because he was against gay marriage, then lukewarm against gay marriage. Now, they hate him because he's "pandering" - that he doesn't really believe in gay marriage, he's just saying it because it's politically convenient.

If the same people hate him for his position no matter what position he takes, his position is not the reason.

[Rageaholic]

In order to do that, people will have to acknowledge that marriage is not a religious institution in and of itself. Marriage is a contract. If the couple getting married want to make their god party to that contract, they are welcome to do so. If the couple getting married don't believe in a god, that does not make their marriage any less valid. Religious people don't seem to understand that.

And that right there is problem the religious right. They desire to have so much so control that they consider merely granting people's rights an attack on their freedom. Almost all oppositions to human rights in this country have been from religious people. Well I say fuck em. You should not have the right to deny the rights of others. I've heard all the arguements and they're all based on logical fallacies. The religious right can cry me a fucking river if their so concerned about this.

[Bright Star]

It's an election year. He's running for a 2nd presidential term. Of course he's supporting that. He wants to get re-elected! How obvious can that be?
In an election year, politicians will say anything to get a better chance of winning an election.
What he said doesn't hold a whole lot of water.

[Andara Bledin]

Generally speaking, all of the people who support gay marriage are already voting for him, and a large percentage of the black community tends to fall out against gay equality (which is incredibly ironic, when you think about it), so it's not at all useful as a political maneuver to get him more votes.

Article at FiveThirtyEight

While the article notes that it's not as risky a move as it would have been to do the same a year ago, it's still considered risky, not obvious.

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