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Evolve: Obama gay marriage quotes
President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced his support for gay marriage, addressing the issue for the first time personally since Vice President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he is “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage and Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced his support of gay marriage on Monday. Here’s a look back at some of Obama’s quotes on gay marriage:
1. “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages,” while running in 1996 for Illinois state Senate, in a written response to a questionnaire from Chicago’s Outlines gay newspaper.
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2, 2004, while an Illinois state Senator, in an interview with Chicago gay newspaper, the Windy City Times.2. “Undecided,” while running for re-election to state Senate in 1998, in response to an Outlines questionnaire asking, “Do you favor legalizing same-sex marriage?”
3. “I am a fierce supporter of domestic-partnership and civil-union laws. I am not a supporter of gay marriage as it has been thrown about, primarily just as a strategic issue. I think that marriage, in the minds of a lot of voters, has a religious connotation. I know that’s true in the African-American community, for example. And if you asked people, ‘should gay and lesbian people have the same rights to transfer property, and visit hospitals, and et cetera,’ they would say, ‘absolutely.’ And then if you talk about, ‘should they get married?’, then suddenly…” - Feb.
4. “I was reminded that it is my obligation not only as an elected official in a pluralistic society, but also as a Christian, to remain open to the possibility that my unwillingness to support gay marriage is misguided,” while a U.S. Senator, writing in his memoir in 2006, “The Audacity of Hope.”
5. “The government has to treat all citizens equally. I am a strong supporter not of a weak version of civil unions, but of a strong version, in which the rights that are conferred at the federal level to persons who are part of the same-sex union are compatible. When it comes to federal rights, the over 1,100 rights that right now are not being given to same-sex couples, I think that’s unacceptable.” - Aug. 9, 2007, while running for president, at a Democratic primary debate sponsored by the HRC and the LOGO network.
6. “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian — for me — for me as a Christian, it is also a sacred union. God’s in the mix.” - April 17, 2008, while running for president, defining marriage at the Saddleback Presidential Forum.
7. “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage. But when you start playing around with constitutions, just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that’s not what America’s about.” - Nov. 2, 2008, while running for president, in an interview with MTV.
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8. “I’ve called on Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act to help end discrimination to help end discrimination against same-sex couples in this country. Now, I want to add we have a duty to uphold existing law, but I believe we must do so in a way that does not exacerbate old divides. And fulfilling this duty in upholding the law in no way lessens my commitment to reversing this law. I’ve made that clear.” - June 29, 2009, as president, at an LGBT Pride Month reception.
9. “I have been to this point unwilling to sign on to same-sex marriage primarily because of my understandings of the traditional definitions of marriage. But I also think you’re right that attitudes evolve, including mine.” - Oct. 27, 2010, as president, in an interview with a group of liberal bloggers.
10. “Every single American — gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender — every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society. It’s a pretty simple proposition.” - Oct. 1, 2011, as president, speaking at the Human Rights Campaign annual national dinner.
11. “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.” - May 9, 2012, as president, in an interview with Robin Roberts of ABC News.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76109_Page2.html#ixzz22PbwyPLc
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