President Obama’s support of same-sex marriage is a controversial topic. His sudden change of heart from his first term in office, when he stated his Christian values held true to traditional marriages between a man and a woman ,to May 2012, when he voiced his support for same-sex marriage, seem contradictory.
One wonders what brought about this change of heart. Was it the push to agree with Vice President, Joe Biden, after Biden openly stated on TV he supported same-sex marriage? Perhaps it was the stress of politics, personal stories and trying to reach demographics to which his competitors wouldn’t conform. Or was it, in fact, a true change of heart for our President to adapt his morals to the ways of our society? Either way, this alteration in his morals goes against Christian belief, as he states he strongly follows.
The obvious answer for this change came about election time when each candidate had to reach out and cater to specific demographics. Obama seemed to hit it off with the younger crowd, women, the majority of the African-American population and the LGBT community. With the possibility of winning the upcoming election and earning a second term, it made sense for Obama to “come out of the closet” with his same-sex support.
One of the biggest confirmations for Obama supporters affirming this approval of same-sex marriage as just a political hoax was his choice to have Richard Blanco as the 2013 inaugural poet. Blanco not only will go in the history books as the first Latino inaugural poet ever, he also will earn the title of the first openly gay poet holding a part of a historical inauguration.
Blanco, originally born in Spain and later raised in Miami, now lives in Maine with his partner. Blanco is a well-known published author. His poem, “One Today”, spoken at yesterday’s ceremony, provided a lengthy, descriptive background on the unity of our entire nation. “One Today” was a strong piece that also referenced Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech — highlighting the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and how his dream was for the unity of every person, race and culture.
Blanco’spresence in Obama’s inauguration gives the official Obama “stamp of approval” on his support of same-sex marriage. Leading me to believe this truly might not be just a political hoax of conformity anymore.