Politics

Obama allies pressure him to come out in favor of gay marriage

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Having signed into law a repeal of the military’s ban on openly gay service members, President Obama now faces pressure from his allies to move on a much tougher and divisive issue: gay marriage.

Obama has long said that his preference is for states to create civil unions for same-sex couples that convey the legal protections and rights of marriage.

“I think that’s the right thing to do,” he said Wednesday during a news conference. “But I recognize that [for same-sex couples] it is not enough, and I think [that] is something that we’re going to continue to debate.”

Gay rights activists are pressing that debate, urging Obama to publicly call for states to allow same-sex marriage.

Full story: Rights activists press Obama to work for gay marriage