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Obama Says “Yes” to Same-Sex Marriage

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Rachel Miller Student Contributor, University of California - Santa Barbara
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSB chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

On Wednesday, May 9, 2012, Barack Obama went public with his endorsement of gay marriage, galvanizing his liberal base, enraging cultural conservatives, and establishing a controversial social debate for the upcoming Presidential Elections in November. For the past two years, President Obama has described his stance on gay marriage as “evolving,” leaving both liberals and conservatives with an ambiguous sense of what will come in the highly contentious debate over legalizing gay marriage. However, after strong endorsements of gay marriage from Vice President Biden and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the public began coaxing President Obama for his stance in the debate. After days of unceasing pressure for clarity and confirmation on the issue, Obama elucidated his final position. “At a certain point, I’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,” Obama told ABC News.

Republicans claim that Obama is “playing politics,” changing his beliefs and proving to be inconsistent. However, our society, like its people, is progressive and in constant flux. Nevertheless, whether you are Democratic, Republican, or Independent, it is undesirable to have a president who is stagnant, unchanging, and unwilling to go in the direction of his people.

Americans are slowly joining the liberal side of the debate, advocating the legalization of same-sex marriage, and Obama is following. It is evident that our society remains deeply divided on the issue though, with 50% supporting gay marriage and 48% against it, according to a Gallup Poll released Tuesday. Nonetheless, recent polls confirm that young voters, who were key to Obama’s victory in 2008, and independent voters are becoming exponentially more comfortable with gay marriage. In addition, 71% of voters ages 18-29, another pivotal group for Obama, stated their pro-legalization of gay marriage stance in three different Gallup polls taken in the last year.

With America’s youth becoming significantly more active and politically liberal, it seems as if the future of America will have to follow. In other words, our political agenda will likely become more democratic, eventually leading to the legalization of gay marriage. Right now is the most important time for our country’s youth to take a stand, present their voice, and vote. The next four years of our lives will dictate our country’s policies on our most significant life events such as finding a job, getting married, and having children. We must resist voter apathy and realize that our vote counts and can change the course of our entire country.  

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Rachel Miller

UCSB

Rachel is a senior at UC Santa Barbara and studies Communication and Global Peace and Security. Rachel is from a small, beautiful town in southern California called Palos Verdes. However, Palos Verdes is just one of the many places Rachel has lived. Rachel spent her childhood moving and traveling all over the world, living in places such as Indianapolis, Indiana; Santiago, Chile; Vienna, Austria; and Orlando, Florida. Rachel has found her heart and her home in California, choosing to spend her college years in sunny Santa Barbara. However, Rachel continued her wanderlust when she studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain in Fall 2012. At UCSB, Rachel is an immensely dedicated and involved member of her sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma, where she held the positions of Panhellenic Delegate, Inter-Greek Counselor, Rho Gam, and a member of the Nominating Slate. Best Buddies, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is a passion of Rachel's, as she is their Social Media Coordinator as well as an active and proud member. As a member of the Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honors Society, Rachel is able to implement her prowess and affinity for communication and communication-related issues. When Rachel is not writing, participating in Kappa events, or volunteering, you can find her in the gym, on the soccer field, watching Modern Family, or cooking. Rachel's love for sports, food, and writing often times go hand-in-hand, as one may see in her weekly blogs. For the past two summers, Rachel has been freelance writing for the Los Angeles Times, and hopes to continue her career pursuit of journalism after she graduates. Rachel is elated to be a part of Her Campus's fabulous team and loves every moment of it!