Obama Once Backed Full Gay Marriage

by Michael Jones · 2009-01-13 13:07:00 UTC
Topics:

ObamaSay what?

Yup, he did. In a 1996 candidate survey, when Obama was running for the State Senate seat that launched his political career, here's what he had to say:

I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.

That's pretty unequivocal. But this specific answer - though much rumored during the waning days of the 2008 campaign - was lost in the archives of a defunct Chicago LGBT publication, OUTLINES. Until now.

The next President has since changed his tune on same-sex marriage, saying that he supports civil unions for gay and lesbian couples but not the term "marriage." But was that just a campaign talking point? Where does Obama stand on gay marriage?

Stay tuned for the January 14 issue of the Windy City Times, which will feature extensive coverage of Obama's marriage record.

Update: Here's the story from the Windy City Times.  The article gives a little more context, and seems to make the case that any waffling by Obama on the issue of same-sex marriage has been political strategy.  Wild.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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