I personally believe that marriage is a civil right that should be afforded to all couples, regardless of their gender make-up. It is an emotional issue for all sides, but it doesn't mean it shouldn't be discussed frankly and openly, which I plan to do often on this blog. President Obama has held differing views on the subject for some time: from being for it and willing to fight to make it happen when he was a freshman state Senator, to being pro civil unions but against gay marriage as a candidate for President. Now, he says his views are "evolving" on the issue, as polls released by Gallop and CBS show that a slight majority of Americans now favor legalizing Same-Sex marriage.
In my opinion, President Obama supports Same-Sex marriage. Based on his Administration's stance on the unconstitutionality of the Defense Of Marriage Act and the Justice Department's unwillingness to defend the law in federal court, I'll assume he doesn't really care about the gender make up of a couple. I believe his flip-flopping on the issue has little to do with his personal opinion, and everything to do with political necessity.
LZ Granderson is an openly-gay sportswriter for ESPN and also is a contributor to CNN. He was at a Fundraiser Dinner for President Obama's re-election campaign hosted by the LGBT community in New York. He wrote a fantastic op-ed about the speech the President made and how those in favor of Same-Sex marriage should react to it. I highly recommend reading it!
Here is the full speech President Obama gave at that fundraiser on Thursday.
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