President Obama affirms he supports gay marriage

In a rare midday interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts on Wednesday, President Barack Obama affirmed that he believes couples of the same-sex should be granted the right to legally marry, making him the first U.S. president in history to fully embrace that level of civil rights for gays. The president’s views come at the heels of the North Carolina referendum, Amendment One, which came into law earlier this week after an overwhelmingly amount of votes, outlawing gay marriage in the state. The president’s announcement gave an immediate jolt to the decades-long movement for gay equality in the nation at a time when a growing number of states are moving to ban, or legalize same-sex unions and as polls illustrate a majority of Americans supporting marriage rights.

President Obama did not always support same-sex marriage. After soul-searching and talks with his family and aides, his views evolved. “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,” Obama told Roberts. He hinted at the rapidly shifting political fault lines, saying he had considered the teachings of his Christian faith against a growing pro-marriage consensus among younger Americans, who are a key target group for his election campaign. “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,” Obama said.

“They are much more comfortable with it,” the president continued as he talked with Roberts. “You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. 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, frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.”