President Barack Obama ended a long period of equivocation on the
subject of same-sex marriage on Wednesday, telling ABC News he supports
it. He becomes the first sitting president to voice his support of gay
marriage.
Civil rights groups and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) activists widely praised Obama's statement after he disappointed
many in 2010 by saying his position on the question of same-sex
marriage was "evolving." At Affirmations, the LGBT community center in
Ferndale, program director Johnny Jenkins said it's a confidence boost.
"Every little bit of positive energy we can get, this community should take," he said.
But it will be up to the public at large to decide whether Obama's
support leads to broader changes in policy or whether it hurts the
president politically.
Thirty-nine states, including Michigan, limit marriage to
relationships between and a man and a woman, either through state law,
constitutional provisions or both, according to the National Conference
of State Legislatures. Six states and Washington, D.C., issue marriage
licenses to same-sex couples and two more -- Maryland and Washington --
passed laws this year to allow same-sex marriages, though both could be
challenged in referendums. In California, a federal appeals court ruled
that the state's restriction on same-sex marriage was invalid but it
still is not allowed pending appeal.
Five states, including Illinois, provide for civil unions, according
to the NCSL's tally. Some others grant spousal rights to unmarried
couples through domestic partnerships.
A Gallup poll released this week showed half of all Americans
believe same-sex marriages should be recognized as legally valid,
compared with 48% who don't. Depending on the state, however, there has
been widespread support for banning gay marriages. Such a
constitutional prohibition was approved by voters in North Carolina on
Tuesday even though the state already had a similar law on its books.
Same-sex marriages are prohibited in Michigan under a 2004
constitutional amendment, and though polls have shown increasing
support, as recently as late last year Gov. Rick Snyder signed
legislation prohibiting some public employers from providing health
insurance and other benefits to domestic partners.
Peter Hammer, director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights
at Wayne State University in Detroit, said he considered Obama's
statement "a clear example of the president taking a leadership
position and standing for justice."
Storm was brewing
In recent days, support for same-sex marriage was voiced by Vice
President Joe Biden and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, but much
of the political analysis out of Washington concentrated on how those
comments could put Obama in a tough place on a controversial issue
heading into a general election season.
Hammer said Obama -- who made his comments to ABC's Robin Roberts on
Wednesday -- deserves credit for making his position clear. In the
interview, Obama said, "It is important for me personally to go ahead
and affirm that same-sex couples should be able to get married."
Obama said he held off making such a statement in the past because
he was "sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people the word
'marriage' was something that invokes very powerful traditions,
religious beliefs and so forth."
Emily Dievendorf, director of policy for Equality Michigan, an
organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual
orientation, gender identity and gender expression, said the
endorsement wasn't a surprise but she was glad it came when it did.
Although state policies may be arrayed against recognition of same-sex
marriages, the support of a president can "advance the cause because
our community needs to know they are supported." She also said she
believes it can awaken a key constituency -- LGBT Americans -- to
battle for Obama's re-election.
Obama repealed the military policy known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell --
which prohibited openly gay, lesbian or bisexual individuals from
serving -- last year.
Glenn Clark, president of the Michigan Faith and Freedom Coalition,
said he plans to spend the next seven months letting people know how
"radical" Obama is on the subject of same-sex marriage. Clark's group
advocates for conservative social and economic policies.
"This is really no surprise," Clark said. "He decided over a year
ago that the Justice Department should not defend the Defense of
Marriage Act, which is a complete violation of his oath to uphold the
Constitution. The winds of the Obama White House have been blowing this
way for quite some time."
Clark predicted the stance will hurt Obama in the general election
in November. The presumptive Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, opposes
gay marriage.
From a political standpoint, Obama's announcement provides plenty of
fodder for swing-state analysis. Coming out in favor of same-sex
marriage may improve support for Obama in solidly liberal Democratic
states such as New York -- where New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
issued a statement calling it "a major turning point in the history of
American civil rights," for example -- but it could potentially hurt
him elsewhere, such as with blue-collar voters in Ohio or Hispanics in
Florida.
"There's a downside to this thing," said Bill Ballenger, the
publisher of Lansing-based Inside Michigan Politics. "It probably hurts
him a little bit."