<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"In a move that was surprising to some and anticipated by others, yesterday President Obama said he believes gay couples should be allowed to marry. The announcement came only a few days after Vice President Joe Biden said he is &amp;quot;absolutely comfortable&amp;quot; with gay marriage, which put pressure on President Obama to take a stance on the issue. President Obama told ABC&amp;#039;s Robin Roberts Wednesday: &amp;quot;Over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or Marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that &amp;#039;don&amp;#039;t ask, don&amp;#039;t tell&amp;#039; is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I&amp;#039;ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.&amp;quot; The President&amp;#039;s announcement also only came one day after North Carolina added it to their state constitution that marriage can only be between a man and a woman, going so far as to ban civil unions and domestic partnerships between heterosexual couples as well as homosexual couples. The recent event signify that this issue is on the top of the national political consciousness and could potentially play a big role in the 2012 elections. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/news/a46120/obama-supports-gay-marriage/>