More necessary theater to get where we need to go.
I just came back from the SOTU speech after the 2014 mid terms in the time machine:
“During my childhood and upbringing I had accepted the common societal social morals including the view that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. However, over the past few years I have been exposed to the lives of a great many people. As President, I have met more people over a wider spectrum of the population and as a result gained a more informed and deeper understanding of the perspective of those people.
Over the last few years, I have learned a great deal about the lives of Gay and Lesbian Americans. From meeting these wonderful people and getting to know their families, children and friends, I have seen for myself the true love and deep commitment that gay and lesbian couples share in their relationships. I have found that the children in these families share the ups and downs, pleasures and disappointments, and loving care from their parents and are blessed to have such great families.
I am grateful to these Americans for sharing this knowledge with me which has taught me many lessons. The fundamental truth that cannot be denied is that these couples and families deserve the same recognition and those of a man and a woman. Through the heartfelt conversations I have had with new friends, staffers, my own family, and especially my wife Michelle, who has helped me see my own sense of compassion and the parallels to previous civil rights issues, I have evolved my view of this issue to a higher level.
Based on these experiences, I can no longer view marriage as solely the union of one man and one woman. Gay and Lesbian couples and families deserve the same recognition, rights, and benefits as any other. I support the recognition of same sex couples across the nation and the repeal of DOMA.
I implore our elected representatives to look deep inside themselves and explore the issue as I have, and to move forward to take the appropriate steps to see that these relationships are recognized equally, to those of a man and a woman.
