President-elect made a more conservative shift before running for president
Chicago, IL -
During his run for Illinois state Senate in 1996, Barack Obama stated his unequivocal support for gay marriage, according to an exclusive story in the Jan. 14, 2009 Windy City Times.
"I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages," Obama told Outlines in a 1996 interview. Outlines would go on to merge with the Windy City Times, Chicago's oldest gay and lesbian newspaper, in 2000.
This answer is among those included in this week's Windy City Times feature on Obama's position on gay marriage.
Now the President-elect, Obama has experienced a distinct shift in his position since the 1996 interview. In 2004, during his U.S. Senate run, Obama stated opposition to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, but also stated his preference for civil unions over full marriage.
"In a January 2004 interview I conducted with Obama at the Windy City Times' office, Obama clearly stated that lack of support for full marriage equality was a matter of strategy rather than principle," the Times' Editor Tracy Baim said, "but in even more recent comments, it appears he is backing off even further, saying it is more of a religious issue, and also a 'state' issue, so he favors civil unions."
Obama did not support gay marriage during his campaign for the Presidency, but ran on a platform supporting equal benefits for same-sex spouses at every level in government. In addition, the Obama/Biden campaign supported repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the Defense of Marriage Act, and also adoption and immigrant sponsorship rights for gay spouses.
This story full story and interview are featured in this week's Windy City Times, which also includes a corresponding piece from University of Chicago doctoral candidate Timothy Stewart-Winter, which examines this issue in "the context of Obama's race in 1996 against incumbent Alice Palmer."
Obama will become the first African-American President of the United States when he takes the oath of office next week.
The entire 2004 interview is available in the Windy City Times and online at windycitymediagroup.com.
"I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages," Obama told Outlines in a 1996 interview. Outlines would go on to merge with the Windy City Times, Chicago's oldest gay and lesbian newspaper, in 2000.
This answer is among those included in this week's Windy City Times feature on Obama's position on gay marriage.
Now the President-elect, Obama has experienced a distinct shift in his position since the 1996 interview. In 2004, during his U.S. Senate run, Obama stated opposition to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, but also stated his preference for civil unions over full marriage.
"In a January 2004 interview I conducted with Obama at the Windy City Times' office, Obama clearly stated that lack of support for full marriage equality was a matter of strategy rather than principle," the Times' Editor Tracy Baim said, "but in even more recent comments, it appears he is backing off even further, saying it is more of a religious issue, and also a 'state' issue, so he favors civil unions."
Obama did not support gay marriage during his campaign for the Presidency, but ran on a platform supporting equal benefits for same-sex spouses at every level in government. In addition, the Obama/Biden campaign supported repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the Defense of Marriage Act, and also adoption and immigrant sponsorship rights for gay spouses.
This story full story and interview are featured in this week's Windy City Times, which also includes a corresponding piece from University of Chicago doctoral candidate Timothy Stewart-Winter, which examines this issue in "the context of Obama's race in 1996 against incumbent Alice Palmer."
Obama will become the first African-American President of the United States when he takes the oath of office next week.
The entire 2004 interview is available in the Windy City Times and online at windycitymediagroup.com.
