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“Same-sex couples should be able to get married," the president told Robin Roberts of ABC News.
Prior to the interview, the president had hesitated to express a clear perspective on whether gay people should be allowed to get married. In the past, President Obama had expressed support for civil unions between gay couples but not for marriage. In the ABC interview, the president referenced his daughters when he said today’s younger generation generally doesn’t have a problem with the idea of gay marriage.
"Malia and Sasha, it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated different," he said. "It doesn't make sense to them, and frankly, that's the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective."
Individual states are voting on the issue
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Voters in North Carolina overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage. In all, 30 states have now taken this step. |
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The president’s statement came after several states voted recently on whether to allow same sex marriage within their borders. Maryland’s legislature voted to legalize it there, while the people of North Carolina voted “no” on a referendum that would have allowed it, making gay marriage illegal in their state.
Same-sex marriage is currently legal in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont; Maryland will allow same-sex couples to marry as of January 1, 2013.
Polls show Americans remain divided on the idea. The latest Gallup survey had the split at 50 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed. The data reveals generational differences. A Pew Research Center poll done last fall showed the youngest voters (ages 18 to 30) overwhelmingly favor gay marriage, 59 percent to 35 percent. Generation Xers (ages 31 to 50) support it, 50 percent to 42 percent, while Baby Boomers (50+) are opposed to it, 42 percent to 48 percent.
Some of the legal advantages of marriage include visitation rights to see each other in the hospital, access to one another’s benefits through an employer, and tax benefits. Those opposed to same sex marriage say it is a religious institution that has always been between a man and a woman and should remain that way.
How will gay marriage affect the election?
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GOP nominee Mitt Romney said it’s his view that marriage is defined as the relationship between a man and a woman, but said he understands that the topic is a very sensitive one. |
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The president gave his interview on the gay marriage issue after Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan both announced their support for it earlier this week. Critics called on the president to follow suit and some gay advocacy organizations said they would withhold support for the president’s campaign unless he clearly expressed his support for same-sex marriage.
While many have hailed the president’s announcement as a watershed moment for gay rights, some analysts say it doesn’t change much in the upcoming election because of how far apart the president and his likely opponent, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, stand on gay rights issues. Romney has said he absolutely opposes “marriages between people of the same gender.”
However, the issue may come into play in states where the race is expected to be especially close, like North Carolina, Florida, Ohio and Colorado.
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I think we've been witnessing violence for years, whether in reality through the media or through video games, and I don't think that's a first-hand effect.
