In an interview on Good Morning America on Thursday, President Barack Obama said that he personally supported the right of gay couples to marry, becoming the first sitting president in history to do so.
While Obama stressed that the decision on whether to allow gay marriage should be left up to the states, he said he had come to believe that gay couples should be afforded the same rights as heterosexuals.
Many LGBT rights groups are applauding the president's announcement, which came the day after North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in that state. However, some think announcing his support for gay marriage was a risky move for Obama to make in an election year.
"“There’s two camps celebrating this today: Those activists who are advocating for the redefinition of marriage, and the Mitt Romney campaign,” Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council, told Bloomberg News. “The president just handed Mitt Romney the missing piece to the picture of enthusiasm for his campaign.”
Others, however, think Obama will make gains in the youth vote -- and still others point out that single-issue voters who are against gay marriage are unlikely to vote for Obama anyway.
What do you think? Will Obama's announcement of support for gay marriage help or hinder him this November?
