The head of the largest LGBT group on campus commended President Barack Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage Wednesday but warned the announcement could have political consequences in the general election.
“I was overjoyed. I was glad that Obama had finally taken a stance on the issue,” said Morgan Richardson, co-president of the Rainbow Alliance. “But I feel like this could hurt his reelection … I know, coming from an African American community, there are a lot of people who will think twice about voting for Obama now for religious issues.”
During a televised interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts on Wednesday afternoon, Obama explicitly voiced his support for gay marriage for the first time. He had previously maintained his views on the issue were “evolving.”
“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 Roberts.
The president’s words came less than a day after North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. A White House spokesman said earlier Wednesday that Obama was “disappointed” by the North Carolina decision.
Richardson, a Communication junior, predicted other factors motivated the president to “say something definitive” on the issue.
“Honestly, I do feel he was backed into a corner,” Richardson said, pointing to several members of the Obama administration who publicly endorsed same-sex marriage over the past week.
In an interview on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden said he was “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage. A day later, Education Secretary Arne Duncan responded, “Yes, I do,” when an MSNBC host asked whether he thought gay couples should be able to legally marry.
Richardson was not alone in recognizing the political stakes behind Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage.
“What’s kind of going on with the Obama campaign is they’re trying to make the campaign about social issues as much as possible because the Republican Party has already revolved itself around them so much,” said Mohamad Akef, a Weinberg freshman and the vice president of external relations for NU College Democrats.
Matt Davis, the former president of NU College Republicans, called Obama’s announcement “politically motivated, absolutely.”
“The LGBT community is a big part of the activist base of the Democratic Party, and I think exciting them is a big part of his reelection campaign,” said Davis, a SESP junior.
Davis added he supports states’ right to decide the issue on their own. Obama made a similar point in the ABC News interview.
Richardson agreed the fate of same-sex marriage is now up to voters at the state level.
“The next step for the people who are pro-gay marriage is to really put the pressure on their congressmen when election season comes around,” she said. “Say, ‘I will not vote for you if you do not support gay marriage.'”
