Obama's support of same-sex marriage: A leap forward in the fight for equality

No matter one’s stance on gay rights, it must be acknowledged that President Barack Obama’s official support of same-sex marriage legalization is largely symbolic, even though the right to determine matrimonial laws is still reserved to the states.Despite their lack of immediate action, however, many underestimate the importance of symbolic actions.Obama’s words did not immediately change any marriage laws, or even come close to ensuring complete equality for all Americans regardless of sexual orientation. They did, however, make the United States a place where many gay couples can feel supported by the most important voice in the country. Obama effectively revolutionized the light in which American families will, from now on, view and discuss gay rights policies by adding an executive, powerful voice to the gay rights movement.The power of Obama’s declaration of support for gay marriage’s legalization is comparable to the power of a celebrity endorsement for a candidate or proposition. When famous entertainer and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey endorsed Obama in 2007, it had a profound effect on the Democratic primary election. Economists Craig Garthwaite and Tim Moore of the University of Maryland studied the public circulation and weight of Winfrey’s opinions, and determined that Winfrey’s endorsement was worth approximately one million votes for Obama in the 2008 Democratic primaries. Garthwaite and Moore claim that the votes resulting from Winfrey’s support are the reason for Obama’s victory in the primary election.Obama’s opinions are even more widely valued and circulated than Winfrey’s, and his status as a role model to Americans is powerful enough to influence United States citizens in reconsidering how they view marriage laws in their respective states. Obama provides a much-needed executive voice in the fight for gay marriage rights.In fact, tangible change resulting from Obama’s influence has already been evident. According to “Politico,” a North Carolina public policy poll released Thursday, May 17 reported a seven percent jump in support of same-sex marriage legalization from the African-American demographic — up from 20 percent to 27 percent. In addition, the total percentage of North Carolina citizens opposing gay marriage dropped four percent — from 63 percent to 59 percent. All of these significant changes in opinion came from a state that had, only nine days earlier, passed an amendment to their state constitution defining the only legal union as one between a man and a woman.Some Obama critics are also suspicious that the announcement was a result of potential political advancement. In other words, they claim that his public support of gay marriage is a campaign ploy designed to garner votes and raise money, not his actual opinion. However this critique does not grasp the true reality of the announcement. First of all, this announcement could very likely lose Obama votes  in the upcoming election, due to Obama’s reliance on demographics that do not actively support gay marriage. If playing up the fact that he publicly supports gay marriage does help Obama’s re-election campaign, then there is nothing immoral about using his progressive beliefs to his advantage.But more importantly, whether or not Obama believes in what he said, the announcement has the same progressive and monumental effect. Obama’s personal opinion is not, in and of itself, monumental; it is the fact that, for the first time, an in-office American president is openly expressing his support. Obama’s self-stated “evolution” in his gay marriage support is a microcosm for the very evolution the United States as a nation is undergoing. Just as the President of the United States learned to disregard archaic perceptions and arguments, so can the states and people Obama presides over.mgumbel@thesamohi.com