President
Barack Obama said on Wednesday that he personally supported allowing
same-sex couples to wed, making a definitive announcement after years of
repeatedly stopping short of backing gay marriage.
The declaration completes Mr Obama’s self-described “evolution” on
the issue and has delighted his disillusioned liberal base, although the
president risks alienating some more conservative voters with the move.
The
November election will revolve around the US economy, but Wednesday’s
about-turn looked designed to temper a simmering social issue and
provide an even starker contrast with Mitt Romney, his presumptive
Republican rival, who wants to introduce a constitutional amendment
banning gay marriage.
“At a certain point 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,” Mr Obama said during a hastily arranged interview with ABC News, due to be broadcast on Wednesday night.
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