Politics: His Evolution Is Our Evolution

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Politics His Evolution Is Our Evolution Why gay people see themselves in President Obama. By Nathaniel Frank Posted Thursday, May 10, 2012, at 12:49 AM ET As president, Barack Obama has supported repealing "don't ask, don't tell," adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the federal hate-crimes law, passing a federal law to ban anti-gay employment discrimination, and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act. Why does it matter so much, then, that on Wednesday he told ABC News that he supports the freedom of same-sex couples to marry? Why is this the all-important seal of approval gay people have been waiting for? Obama's previous demurral on whether marriage ought to encompass same-sex unions, as a moral proposition, was immaterial as a matter of policy. Marriage law is generally the province of the states, not Washington, and the president had already called his lawyers off defending DOMA. His personal beliefs about marriage did not directly affect the rights and lives of gay people wishing to marry. But of course, in the end, this was all a giant technicality. The moral power of the presidency may be its most important dimension: What the president believes and says influences how ordinary Americans think and behave and what laws they are willing to pass. It was Obama's few clear words today that prompted a number of LGBT advocates to announce they'd immediately max out their contributions to his re-election campaign. (My boyfriend and I chipped in a smaller but symbolically significant amount.) Maybe they're pleased because they think Obama's announcement will speed legal equality, but equally or more important, Obama's announcement is ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate A White Democratic President Wouldn't Dare Endorse Gay Marriage as Obama Did Saletan: How Obama—and Half of America—Came To Accept Gay Marriage Wisconsin Dems Aren't Sure They Love Their Candidate, but They Know They Hate Scott Walker	Advertisement
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