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Obama says same-sex couples should be able to marry
"When we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it's also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated."
- President Barack Obama
US President Barack Obama has ended months of hedging on the issue of gay marriage by saying he thinks same-sex couples should be able to wed. He has become the first sitting US president to back gay marriage.
He pointed to his administration's commitment to increasing rights for gay citizens. He cited the repeal of the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy and said his administration had dropped support for the Defense of Marriage Act.
"I've stood on the side of broader equality for the LGBT community. I hesitated on gay marriage in part because I thought civil unions would be sufficient," Mr Obama said.
He said he had changed his views after seeing gay members of his own staff who were in "incredibly committed monogamous relationships", and service personnel who felt constrained by not being able to wed.