Washington D.C., May 9, 2012 / 15:55 pm
President Barack Obama has become the first U.S. president to publicly support “gay marriage,” breaking silence on the issue and pointing to his Christian faith as a motivation for his position.
“I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama said in a May 9 interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney responded by reaffirming his own commitment to defending marriage. According to the Associated Press, Romney said on May 9 that he believes marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman and has held this view “since running for office.”
In supporting a redefinition of marriage, Obama said on Wednesday that his wife, Michelle, “feels the same way that I do” and cited the couple's religious beliefs, saying, “we are both practicing Christians.”