President Obama Declares His Support For Gay Marriage

In an interview with ABC News, President Barack Obama has declared his unequivocal support for gay marriage, becoming the first president to endorse the divisive subject.

Speaking with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, the president said “I have hesitated on gay marriage in part because I thought that civil unions would be sufficient” and added that he “was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people the word `marriage’ was something that invokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs and so forth.”

The declaration introduces yet another hot button topic during the 2012 presidential race.

Obama said he came to the conclusion after years of talking with friends and family. But he refused to take a clear stance on the issue for months before Wednesday’s announcement.

Mitt Romney, the likely GOP presidential nominee, said he reaffirms his view that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Photo Credit: Pete Souza, via Wikimedia Commons

It's simple. Keith Mizuguchi loves to write and write and write some more. After taking a hiatus from the journalism business, he has rekindled his passion for writing over the last two years, holding a job as both a web and on-air writer for San Francisco news radio station KCBS. While he enjoys the news business, his true passions are twofold: sports and food. Bay Area born and raised, he lives in San Jose, commutes to SF and loves every minute of it. You can follow his food adventures on Twitter @foodie_keith.