WASHINGTON — White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs dodged the subject of same-sex marriage at Monday’s press briefing when Washington Blade reporter Chris Johnson grilled him on President Barack Obama’s apparent flip-flop on gay marriage.
In 1996 as President Obama was running for the Illinois State Senate, he sent a letter to a local newspaper, The Outlines (now The Windy City Times), highlighting his positions on LGBT rights.
In the letter released by the The Windy City Times, Obama wrote: “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”
WINDY CITY TIMESObama's 1996 letter, click to enlarge.
“That’s not the president’s current position. Has he backtracked on a earlier commitment he made to gay and lesbian Americans?,” asked Johnson.
Gibbs dodged the question, saying “I think there’s a whole host of issues that I would direct you to the campaign on — on different questionnaires and I would again reiterate what the president has said recently on that issue.”
Asked whether he questions the accuracy of the 1996 questionnaire response, Gibbs replied, “Again, I’m happy to send you the several thousand clips of which went around during the course of 2008 on a whole host of those issues.”
Since his presidential campaign, Obama has publicly opposed same-sex marriage, and the White House has repeatedly said the president’s position has not changed.
But in a December interview with Kerry Eleveld for The Advocate, on the subject of marriage equality, the President said his “attitudes are evolving.”
“Like a lot of people, I’m wrestling with this,” he said.
A number of gay rights supporters have called on Obama to declare support for same-sex marriage during the State of the Union address, reports the Blade.
In an editorial in The New York Times on Sunday, columnist and “It Gets Better” founder Dan Savage urged the President to address marriage equality in tonight’s speech.
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So he states in a letter in 1996 he supports gay marriage, yet now he is against it?
How has he gone back on it?
This is kind of sad :(. I thought president obama was a good president but his stance on same sex marriages make me wonder. Maybe he isnt really against it but just says he is to gain approval from other members of the government? I dont know but i hope he doesnt come outright and ban gay marriage. maybe he will have a change of heart
Same thing that happens to almost any of them who are for it, power and the White House, anyone running for that gig knows that they won’t win if they support it. HRC flip flopped on it as well, they are all looking out for themselves before the people.
Oh stop the whining. Jesus. This is real world politics folks. You don’t become president in America by saying you support gay marriage. Or by being a Muslim. Or even being black for that matter—you have to campaign as a hot progressive brand akin to the Gap’s ad strategy to get around that issue.
He said what he needed to say. Otherwise if he said what you wanted him to say there’d be no DADT repeal or any other LGBT legislation under consideration.
The fact that he said he supports gay marriage then reneged in an aim to get into the White House is actually more encouraging to me than him not ever saying it at all.
Jeez, in the words of Malcolm X, the dude’s become a “house Negro,” whose very own inter-racial parents would have been barred from wedding back in the day.
Shame on you Barack……
Onward to full marriage equality now,
Joe Mustich, Officiant, Red Studio Farm, Washington Green, CT USA.
And you become President of the USA by bombing folks with drones, and torturing others….?
LOL
The brother has become a “House Negro,” in the words of Malcolm X.
Onward, Joe Mustich, Washington Green, CT USA
Derrick, all it means is that we’re a political football for Obama, just like we were for Bush. The thing is that he’s been caught in a lie, and he’s moved to the right on marriage equality to be elected. Now he’s “evolving” to marriage equality, which is a load of crap since he was already in favor of it once. No evolution necessary. No one likes being used in this way. It’s not a surprise that this is coming back to haunt him. It should.
Well said Derrick. I totally agree. Sometimes the political naiveté of our community is surprising.