President Barack Obama made official his stance on same-sex marriage yesterday when he publicly endorsed it during an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts. He said that his stance on the issue was based in the biblical admonition to “treat others the way you would want to be treated” and that “it is important to go ahead and affirm that same-sex couples should be able to get married.” Obama said he made his decision after speaking to his family, his staff, and gay friends. “In the end, the values that I care most deeply about and (my wife) cares most deeply about is how we treat other people.” Obama’s decision to support same-sex marriage comes just days after Vice President Joe Biden announced a similar stance on the issue.
According to most polls, a slight majority of American voters favor gay marriage, but 38 states prohibit it. The Democratic National Committee immediately began receiving donations from gay and lesbian donors after the announcement was made. Political analysts in The Los Angeles Times say Obama’s announcement will hurt him most in the South, where a Pew Research Center poll found one in three swing voters strongly opposes gay marriage.
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