WCT's survey of Obama early gay marriage support comes up at WH briefing
Mon. January 24, 2011 3:45 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
Washington, DC -
A 1996 Windy City Times/Outlines survey became the subject of a question at a White House press briefing on Monday.
The Washington Blade's Chris Johnson asked White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs whether President Barack Obama has actually backtracked on marriage based on the Windy City Times survey where Obama said he supports gay marriage.
"I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages," the President wrote in the 1996 survey when he was running for Illinois state Senator.
Asked Monday by the Blade about the questionnaire, Gibbs dodged the question.
"I think there's a whole host of issues that I would direct you to the campaign on — on different questionnaires and I would again reiterate what the president has said recently on that issue," Gibbs responded before calling an end to the briefing.
"The 1996 survey completed by Obama for Outlines newspaper (which purchased and merged with Windy City Times in 2000) has never been challenged by Obama," WCT publisher Tracy Baim told ChicagoPride.com. "Obama completed the survey and signed the document stating his support of same-sex marriage. Obama later moved away from support and instead supported civil unions. Now he says he is struggling with the topic."
Since taking office the President has maintained marriage is between one man and one woman, but at a news conference in December he seemed to open the door to considering gay marriage.
"My baseline is a strong civil union," said Obama, "that provides them (gays and lesbians) the protections and the legal rights that married couples have, and I think that's the right thing to do. But I recognize that from their prospective that is not enough and I think this is something that we are going to continue to debate and I am personally am going to continue to wrestle with going forward."
Despite President Obama's change of opinion on gay marriage, the Huffington Post earlier this month released details of a Democratic poll that indicated 64 percent of self-described LGBT community members said they approved or strongly approved of the way Obama was handling his job.
The October survey was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research polled 1,077 self-identified LGBT people, half by phone and half online.
For those interested in more details about Obama's history on this and other LGBT issues, especially during his Chicago years, see the book Obama and the Gays: A Political Marriage, written by Baim. (www.obamaandthegays.com)
The Washington Blade's Chris Johnson asked White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs whether President Barack Obama has actually backtracked on marriage based on the Windy City Times survey where Obama said he supports gay marriage.
"I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages," the President wrote in the 1996 survey when he was running for Illinois state Senator.
Asked Monday by the Blade about the questionnaire, Gibbs dodged the question.
"I think there's a whole host of issues that I would direct you to the campaign on — on different questionnaires and I would again reiterate what the president has said recently on that issue," Gibbs responded before calling an end to the briefing.
"The 1996 survey completed by Obama for Outlines newspaper (which purchased and merged with Windy City Times in 2000) has never been challenged by Obama," WCT publisher Tracy Baim told ChicagoPride.com. "Obama completed the survey and signed the document stating his support of same-sex marriage. Obama later moved away from support and instead supported civil unions. Now he says he is struggling with the topic."
Since taking office the President has maintained marriage is between one man and one woman, but at a news conference in December he seemed to open the door to considering gay marriage.
"My baseline is a strong civil union," said Obama, "that provides them (gays and lesbians) the protections and the legal rights that married couples have, and I think that's the right thing to do. But I recognize that from their prospective that is not enough and I think this is something that we are going to continue to debate and I am personally am going to continue to wrestle with going forward."
Despite President Obama's change of opinion on gay marriage, the Huffington Post earlier this month released details of a Democratic poll that indicated 64 percent of self-described LGBT community members said they approved or strongly approved of the way Obama was handling his job.
The October survey was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research polled 1,077 self-identified LGBT people, half by phone and half online.
For those interested in more details about Obama's history on this and other LGBT issues, especially during his Chicago years, see the book Obama and the Gays: A Political Marriage, written by Baim. (www.obamaandthegays.com)