Obama foresees acceptance of same-sex marriage

President Barack Obama said Oct. 27 that his views on same-sex marriage are "evolving."

During a question and answer period with progressive bloggers Wednesday, the President said that the "arc of history" was leading toward acceptance of marriage equality, 365gay reported.

Obama has indicated in the past that he supports civil unions, but not legal recognition of same-sex marriage.

"I have been to this point unwilling to sign on to same-sex marriage primarily because of my understandings of the traditional definitions of marriage," Obama said during the question and answer discussion, according to the public transcript. "But I also think you're right that attitudes evolve, including mine.

"It is an issue that I wrestle with and think about because I have a whole host of friends who are in gay partnerships. I have staff members who are in committed, monogamous relationships, who are raising children, who are wonderful parents.

"And I care about them deeply. And so while I'm not prepared to reverse myself here, sitting in the Roosevelt Room at 3:30 in the afternoon, I think it's fair to say that it's something that I think a lot about."

The President rejected criticism for not having done enough to end "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT), the military's ban on gays and lesbians serving openly -- a particularly contentious subject for LGBT activists and supporters.

"I have been as systematic and methodical in trying to move [the DADT repeal] agenda forward as I could be given my legal constraints, given that Congress had explicitly passed a law designed to tie my hands on the issue," Obama said, and told the bloggers that he has a plan to repeal the discriminatory ban during Congress' lame-duck session following the mid-term elections.

"I'm not going to tip my hand now. But there is a strategy," the President said. "I was very deliberate in working with the Pentagon so that I've got the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs being very clear about the need to end this policy. That is part of a strategy that I have been pursuing since I came into office. And my hope is that will culminate in getting this thing overturned before the end of the year."

Obama responded to the disillusionment many in the LGBT community have been feeling in the two years since his campaign for President, when he referred to himself as a "fierce advocate" for LGBT rights.

"I guess my attitude is that we have been as vocal, as supportive of the LGBT community as any President in history. I've appointed more openly gay people to more positions in this government than any President in history. We have moved forward on a whole range of issues that were directly under my control, including, for example, hospital visitation.

"I'll be honest with you, I don't think that the disillusionment is justified," Obama said Wednesday. "I don't begrudge the LGBT community pushing, but the flip side of it is that this notion somehow that this administration has been a source of disappointment to the LGBT community, as opposed to a stalwart ally of the LGBT community, I think is wrong."

To read the official transcript of a portion of the question and answer discussion, published by AMERICAblog, please visit http://bit.ly/bHA739.