President Obama stunned the nation after making a public endorsement of sam-sex marriages for gay and lesbian couples.
Obama sat down with Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts where he talked about his new found decision from humanitarian perspective although he did note that individual states will still hold the right to enact their own legislation on the union of marriage between gays and lesbians.
In the interview President Obama says that his daughters Sasha and Mahlia [who have friends whose parents are gay] had great influence on his perspective while concluding that this subject matter is still a serious and delicate topic and should be dealt with respectfully and fundamentally on the principles of equality which we hold dear in this country.
I think that’s a healthy process and a healthy debate. This debate is taking place at a local level,” he said. “And I think the whole country is evolving and changing. And, you know, one of the things that I’d like to see is that a conversation continue in a respectful way.
It’s interesting, some of this is also generational,” the President continued. “You know when I go to college campuses, sometimes I talk to college Republicans who think that I have terrible policies on the economy, on foreign policy, but are very clear that when it comes to same sex equality or, you know, sexual orientation that they believe in equality.
There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them and
So far 30 states now have constitutional amendments or statutes banning same-sex marriage. Only 6 states including the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriages. Clearly this remains a heavy topic but voters in Minnesota, Maine, Washington and Maryland will have to poll their ballot in in November.