The first African-American president has now become the only sitting president ever to support same-sex marriage. It is a bold, historic move by Barack Obama, and has yet-undetermined political implications.
"I think same-sex couples should be able to get married," the president said yesterday in an interview with ABC News anchor Robin Roberts. "I had hesitated on gay marriage, in part, because I thought that civil unions would be sufficient. I was sensitive to the fact that, for a lot of people, the word marriage invoked very powerful traditions and religious beliefs."
The president went further to explain how his Christian faith informed this decision. "The thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it's also the golden rule: treat others the way you would want to be treated. And I think that's what we try to impart to our kids, and that's what motivates me as president."
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