At a Republican Debate on September 22, Republican candidates stood silent as a gay soldier was booed while asking a question of the candidates. In response to this, Obama was more than willing to speak out against the candidates and scold them for their cowardice in protecting the rights of a civil servant commenting, "You want to be commander in chief? You can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States, even when it’s not politically convenient."
Obama may be clear cut about his feelings on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," but he has yet to come out with full support of gay marriage. Yes, he is a supporter of civil unions between two people of the same sex but his support is based on the notion of equal opportunity and rights, not the sanctity of these unions on a spiritual level.
Still, Obama says his views on gay marriage are evolving and many predict they may evolve a whole lot more just in time for the elections. Doug Hattaway believes Obama could be jeapordizing votes of young people, in particular, if he doesn't make his endorsement of gay marriage more concrete. Another possibility, however, is not that Obama will lose votes if he doesn't make his stance clear but rather that he will lose money and volunteer time for his campaign.
On the other hand, compared to his Republican counterparts Obama seems to have little to worry about. Both Romney and Perry, along with most of the other Republican candidates, want to keep gay marriage right where it is - non existant. Marriage is a union between only one man and only one woman in their eyes.
Either way it is suspected that Obama will come full circle with his beliefs on gay marriage and openly support it at some point. I personally think he will, too, and despite the fact I'm surprised it has been so difficult for him to come to that conclusion I must say I respect him for staying true to his own values and making the statement when he truly stands behind it.
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