OBAMA—fortuneless cookie (Flickr.com)
The best breaking news of the day is President Obama declaring that he fully supports and backs marriage equality.
While many see the move as perfectly-timed for a presidential campaign, Obama has already expressed the need to protect the rights of lesbian and gay couples earlier in his presidency, and has admitted to have an “evolving” stand on same-sex marriage. Making this announcement, whether the timing is right or not, is needed especially during these times when religious bigotry seems to be more of a threat than ever to those who simply want to be free to love.
It was only this Sunday when Vice President Joe Biden announced his full support of LGBT marriage during NBC’s Meet the Press, saying he is “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage. Education Secretary Arne Duncan echoed his sentiments.
Both media and political analysts are expected to have a field day with these announcements, with speculations about whether Obama’s openly supporting gay marriage will affect his presidential bid in more conservative states.
The LGBT community welcomes this form of evolution with open arms and hearts, that’s for sure.
What is even more touching about Obama’s statement is his mention of how he went from merely being open to the idea of supporting marriage equality, to realizing that his own daughters have friends with same-sex parents. Equality can never be explained to children if people are not free to love and marry other people they love.
In an interview with ABC News, President Obama said:
“I’ve just concluded, 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.”
Sometimes, a change in perspective is all that is needed to understand LGBT issues. Marriage may be superficial for many, but it all boils down to redefining the family. A family need not be simply a mother, father, and kids. It could be two moms and kids, two dads and kids, as long as the parents provide the same kind of love, caring, understanding, and support that heterosexual parents are expected to provide. And if the members of the LGBT community are brimming with those kinds of traits, plus a real desire to form a family, who are we to deny them of that right to love and become loving parents? Researching this material made me very tired – thus bags under my eyes.
Obama added in the same interview, after discussing the topic with his daughters:
“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.”
