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发帖数: 703 | 1 On Tuesday evening, with the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell headed for the
president's desk, Barack Obama signaled that he will continue to push for
gay rights by tackling the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage
as between a man and a woman, and emphasized that his attitudes on gay
marriage are "evolving."
During an interview with The Advocate, the president laid out a timeline for
implementing the DADT repeal, which he said would take "months" not "years,
" and stirred up hope for further gay rights reforms under his watch.
Tracing comments he made during a sitdown with progressive bloggers in
October, Obama asserted his attitudes on gay marriage "are evolving," a
significant shift from his previous stance on the issue. The president
maintained, however, that he still favors "robust civil union[s]" and
understands that the issue is a complex one.
"I've wrestled with the fact that marriage traditionally has had a different
connotation," Obama said. "But I also have a lot of very close friends who
are married gay or lesbian couples."
Asked what other gay rights legislation the White House might be expected to
take on in the next few years, the president responded:
I have been struck -- let me take the former -- repealing DOMA, getting
[the Employment Non-Discrimination Act] done, those are things that should
be done. I think those are natural next steps legislatively.
Obama continued, explaining that he would look for a legislative solution to
combat DOMA, which also allows states not to recognize same-sex marriages
performed in other states:
As I said before, I have a whole bunch of really smart lawyers who are
looking at a whole range of options. My preference wherever possible is to
get things done legislatively because I think it -- it gains a legitimacy,
even among people who don't like the change, that is valuable.
Despite the positive rhetoric, the president conceded that Republican
control of the House would likely mire progress on these issues, though he
insisted that attitudes toward the gay community "are changing rapidly."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/22/obama-affirms-support-for_n_800460.html |
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