President Obama will sit down with "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts today at the White House for a wide-ranging interview, his first since Vice President Joe Biden publicly voiced his support for same-sex marriage and North Carolina voters imposed a new ban on all same-sex unions. Asked Tuesday whether Obama was prepared to opine on the debate, White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "I can tell you that I'm sure it is the case that he will be asked again at some point when he gives interviews or press conferences about this issue, and I'll leave it to him to describe his personal views. Here's a look back at the various positions he has held on the issue: from appearing to support the unions as a young state senate candidate, opposing them outright as a matter of faith in , to suggesting a shift in line with public opinion:. OCTOBER " What I believe is that marriage is between a man and a woman … What I believe, in my faith, is that a man and a woman, when they get married, are performing something before God, and it's not simply the two persons who are meeting," then-U.
Since stepping on to the national stage in when he ran for the Senate in Illinois, Barack Obama has shifted his views on whether same-sex couples should have the legal right to marry. By Wednesday his views had evolved to the position that gay and lesbian rights advocates had urged upon him since Related: Obama backs same-sex marriage. But it was not yet clear from the excerpts that ABC News released on Wednesday afternoon whether Obama intended to use his political clout to try to get legislatures in the majority of states to change their laws, whether he would appoint federal judges who would overturn state laws on constitutional grounds, or by what other means he would use his power to enable same-sex couples to marry.
Obama: "Same sex couples should be able to get married". Barack Obama has been both praised and criticised a day after he became the first sitting US president to publicly support gay marriage. Social conservatives and religious leaders condemned his remarks. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign attacked Republican Mitt Romney, who restated his opposition to same-sex marriage, as out of touch on the issue.
Visit msnbc. President Obama remains opposed to same-sex marriage, even though he agrees with a district judge that California's ban against it is unconstitutional , a White House adviser said today. Supporters of Proposition 8 -- a measure approved by California voters in that bans same-sex marriage -- plan to appeal yesterday's ruling, and it may reach the Supreme Court. The court battle over Proposition 8 could thrust the debate over same-sex marriage back onto the national stage and compel the president to take a less ambivalent position.