# Obama supports same sex marriage **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 9, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415 "2012-05-09T19:16:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/161 "2012-05-10T20:14:32Z")
> [@CJJ](#): > > Do they really expect us to believe with their “some of my best friends are gay” apologies that they’d be all for this move if only Obama didn’t get the credit for it? I suppose it’s possible, given the incredible contortions they wen’t thru to find a way to blame him for killing Osama bin Laden, but I just don’t believe it. These clowns have absolutely no shame. I always wonder if there is any evidence that these gay best friends are real. I remember Santorum, Palin, Bachmann, and others all saying they have gay friends who don’t mind their political views. I always want the reporter to ask for evidence and to interview what those friends actually think. I’m sure that some homophobic politicians have gay friends, but I’m guessing that many times those friends are made up, or they are acquaintances who act civil but hold the politician in contempt and make fun of them behind their back. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/162 "2012-05-10T20:16:08Z")
Glad he came out so to speak as it is a human right but forgive me for being cynical as to his timing. It’s a purely political move. He could (and should) have said the exact same thing when he won big in '08 and had both houses. ---
**Author:** ![IntelliQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@IntelliQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IntelliQ)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/163 "2012-05-10T20:23:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Been there, done it. There’s a book coming out next month by, I think, a Washington Post reporter. Free tip: no, there’s no bullying of gay kids. You dont know that Romney did it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/164 "2012-05-10T20:24:35Z")
> [@IntelliQ](#): > > You dont know that Romney did it. You realize Romney already owned up to it and apologized, right? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/165 "2012-05-10T20:31:24Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > You realize Romney already owned up to it and apologized, right? You can’t take Romney’s word for what Romney’s done. ---
**Author:** ![IntelliQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@IntelliQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IntelliQ)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/166 "2012-05-10T20:34:06Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > You can’t take Romney’s word for what Romney’s done. Did Romney said he deliberately assaulted someone because they’re gay? Sorry if I missed it. If that’s the case I guess he’s got some explaining to do - and he gets held to the same scrutiny as Obama. What’s his positions been on gays throughout the years? Has he bashed them? ---
**Author:** ![IntelliQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@IntelliQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IntelliQ)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/167 "2012-05-10T20:37:55Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Been there, done it. There’s a book coming out next month by, I think, a Washington Post reporter. Free tip: no, there’s no bullying of gay kids. Nah he just did some crack. I dont much like Romney but I have to be fair at least, unlike some of the one sided bs I see around here. ---
**Author:** ![IntelliQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@IntelliQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IntelliQ)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/168 "2012-05-10T20:40:38Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I don’t understand why anyone is giving Obama any credit for this at all. He personally supports gay marriage but believes that it’s a state’s rights issue? Might as well not be for it at all then, as far as most of the country is concerned. > > I’d get more excited if he supported gay marriage on constitutional grounds and argued that it should be federally recognized. Without federal recognition of same-sex marriage, nothing changes here. It’s annoying. I want to be able to file as married, filing jointly, with my future husband someday, on my federal income tax. Obama doesn’t seem to support that happening, so, I’m not too excited. > > I am very happy with him getting rid of DADT though, he gets a lot of credit from me on that. Bingo. But politics has a funny way of making supporters jump up and down and drool over nothing. The mainstream media, if I didnt know better, are talking about Superman today. It’s incredible. (Links above in a prior post about his bravery and courage and another anchor getting chills over it) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/169 "2012-05-10T20:43:15Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Glad he came out so to speak as it is a human right but forgive me for being cynical as to his timing. It’s a purely political move. He could (and should) have said the exact same thing when he won big in '08 and had both houses. It is definitely at least a somewhat political move. And yes, maybe it would have been good if he had said the same thing earlier. But it’s not like he’s done nothing for gay rights before now. [This article](http://bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2012/05/the-presidents-lgbt-successes.html) has a good summary of what he’s accomplished on the LGBT front. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/170 "2012-05-10T20:52:10Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I don’t understand why anyone is giving Obama any credit for this at all. He personally supports gay marriage but believes that it’s a state’s rights issue? Might as well not be for it at all then, as far as most of the country is concerned. > > I’d get more excited if he supported gay marriage on constitutional grounds and argued that it should be federally recognized. Without federal recognition of same-sex marriage, nothing changes here. It’s annoying. I want to be able to file as married, filing jointly, with my future husband someday, on my federal income tax. Obama doesn’t seem to support that happening, so, I’m not too excited. > > I am very happy with him getting rid of DADT though, he gets a lot of credit from me on that. You do realize this is a change from his previous position? It is a big deal for the President to say he thinks that SSM is ok. I’m sorry ti isn’t bold enough for some people, but it is a big change, for a sitting President to say he supports it. Hopefully his stance evolves more, but getting past the philosophical difference with the concept is far more important than a discussion of federalism. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/171 "2012-05-10T21:02:56Z")
> [@IntelliQ](#): > > Did Romney said he deliberately assaulted someone because they’re gay? It looks like I spoke too broadly. He apologized for various “hijinks and pranks” that “went too far” in his youth, but said he didn’t remember the haircut incident and that he wasn’t aware of the sexual orientation of anyone involved. It apparently made a hell of an impression on his old friends, because four or five of them agree it happened as reported (and that the kid was an outcast because he was seen as gay). It does bespeak a creepy kind of cruelty to do something like that, but it’s also true that it was more than 45 years ago and people do sometimes grow up. All things considered I’d rather talk about his lack of interest in gay rights as he panders to conservatives today. > [@IntelliQ](#): > > Nah he just did some crack. Cocaine, not crack (interesting switch) and that wasn’t discovered by reporters - that’s something Obama wrote about on his own. You tend to be treated differently when you acknowledge something yourself rather than denying or minimizing or self-servingly admitting it when other people hear about it. Notwithstanding that doing drugs yourself is a bit different than scaring the shit out of somebody else. The big relevation in the biography is apparently that Obama created some composite characters in his memoir. That might be a devastating discovery if Obama hadn’t made a note of it in the foreword of the book. > [@](#): > > I dont much like Romney but I have to be fair at least When will we be getting to that portion of the evening’s events? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/172 "2012-05-10T21:54:28Z")
> [@gamerunknown](#): > > This will cost him votes from Hispanic and black voters . . . A **white** Democrat could do this without seriously risking those votes. Obama has no worries. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/173 "2012-05-10T22:55:40Z")
[Interesting article](http://www.thenation.com/blog/167821/conservatives-romney-caught-guard-gay-marriage) from _The Nation:_ “Conservatives, Romney, Caught Off Guard On Gay Marriage.” ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/174 "2012-05-10T23:27:53Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I always thought he was pretty clear about it. He had reservations about the religious implications of “marriage”. (We may very well overestimate just how “secular” Obama is, he has always identified himself as a religious man, just like everybody else does, its just that he may actually mean it). But he always supported equality, and seemed to be of the opinion that an entirely secular solution was useful, i.e., civil unions. And remember, for quite a while, that was considered a viable option. I think it still is, so long as the legal protections are identical. If two people want a church wedding _in addition_ to their civil union, what’s the problem? > > For reasons I don’t quite understand, the argument has moved from that spot. OK, then, so be it. One adjusts, or one does not. People appear to be convinced that even if the actual legal protections are identical, the semantic distinction between “marriage” and “civil union” is, by its very nature, discriminatory and unequal. I don’t quite agree, so long as we are vigilant. > > Obviously, we cannot force churches who are unwilling to perform weddings for gay people to do so. And if the distinction between “marriage” and "civil union’ means that much to them, perhaps we can accommodate that. > > But if one side refuses to accept a secular compromise due to a semantic issue, and the other side refuses to accept such a compromise for a semantic issue, well, then, we have to ignore the semantics. His call is correct. I am not a lawyer, a tax accountant, or an insurance guy. But I thought legal marriage was already secular, and always has been. I get the same legal and economic benefits from my marriage, regardless of whether the wedding ceremony was performed at a Mormon temple, an Elvis chapel, or a non-religious justice of the peace. Don’t I? When I was married, I received a formal-looking form with an embossed stamp from the county clerk, as well as a flowery certificate from the church that performed the ceremony. They are two very different documents. The debate doesn’t seem to be about whether we can “force churches who are unwilling to perform weddings for gay people to do so”. Nearly everyone would agree that Mormons should not be legally required to open the doors of their temples to gay couples. The debate is about whether same-sex couples ought to be allowed to be _legally_ married. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/175 "2012-05-11T04:15:33Z")
Jimmy Carter: I did flip-flop on that, and I apologize for saying that my only flip-flop was on the Kelly matter. Uh, but, uh… I-I’m flip-flopping this very moment on the issue of flip-flopping! And, uh, I honestly believe that, uh, by apologizing as quickly as I am right now, I’m saving myself the embarrassment that normally accompanies flip-flopping. [buzzer sounds] ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/176 "2012-05-11T04:44:53Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [Interesting article](http://www.thenation.com/blog/167821/conservatives-romney-caught-guard-gay-marriage) from _The Nation:_ “Conservatives, Romney, Caught Off Guard On Gay Marriage.” Hah! I love me some Shep Smith. How has he avoided being fired? 😃 > [@Ben Adler - The Nation](#): > > Anchor Shepard Smith reacted to the news by saying, “The president of the United States, now in the twenty-first century.” He also wondered “if Republicans would go out on a limb and try to make this a campaign issue while sitting very firmly, without much question, on the wrong side of history on it.” ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/177 "2012-05-11T05:31:37Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It’s time for the anti side to feel marginalized and to be ashamed of itself. Amen. And maybe that’s starting to happen: > [@CJJ](#): > > Nobody asked me, but when I see right-wingers criticizing Obama on this because his decision could be considered a flip-flop, or it’s timed to take advantage of politics, or he’s just drumming up gay money or he’s [insulting people of faith](http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/05/obama-continues-attacks-on-christian-church-throws-his-support-behind-gay-marriage-video/): > > or it’s [politically expedient](http://spectator.org/blog/2012/05/09/obamas-rapid-evolution-on-gay): > > Really, they’re ignoring the elephant in the room: They don’t like this decision because they don’t like homosexuals, and will not tolerate gay marriage. I just wish more of them would be honest about their position, rather than hide behind all this. Maybe the shame of their position is helping to feed this. I think it’s great that homophobia is now “politically incorrect”. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/178 "2012-05-11T05:44:57Z")
[Here’s](http://www.democraticunderground.com/101627918) what it’s all about! 😃 Awesome toon! ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/179 "2012-05-11T05:55:07Z")
Over i Eve’s closed thread, **Martin Hyde** says this: > [@](#): > > If Obama is really doing this because he feels a moral conviction then good for him. As a Republican I almost hope that we campaign heavily on this issue and have it bite us at the polling booth–the best thing that could happen to the Republican party is for the leadership to recognize the culture war that won elections for 20 years is no longer a profitable battleground long term and detracts from the core issues that have historically defined the party. I’m thinking that at 20 years the core issues that historically define the party **are** the culture wars. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415/180 "2012-05-11T06:36:04Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [Here’s](http://www.democraticunderground.com/101627918) what it’s all about! 😃 Awesome toon! \Yesss!!\ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage/621415.md?page=10)