Obama’s statement put him in stark contrast to his Republican opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who supports a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriages.
Romney, after a campaign speech in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, underplayed his differences on the issue with Obama, while also offering a reminder that he had been consistent, the New York Times reported.
“This is a very tender and sensitive topic,” Romney said, “as are many social issues. But I have the same view I’ve had since, well, since running for office.”
Sen. Sherrod Brown, who was one of a handful of U.S. representatives who voted against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, applauded the news.
“What has made America special throughout our history is the constant effort to secure rights for all of our citizens,” the Ohio Democrat said. “Our (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) friends, co-workers, and neighbors should have the same rights enjoyed by all Americans.”
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, said 32 states have voted down same-sex marriage including Ohio.
“President Obama claimed today that while he personally supports same-sex marriage, he also believes every state should be able to make its own decision on this issue,” he said. “In other words, he claims to agree with the Defense of Marriage Act even though his own Justice Department refuses to defend the law in court. His hypocrisy on this issue evidently knows no bounds.”
State Rep. Ross McGregor, R-Springfield, said that Ohio has already spoken out on same-sex marriage when voters chose to keep it illegal in Ohio several years ago. He said an overwhelming amount of Clark County residents supported that decision.
“I am not supportive of same-sex marriage,” McGregor said, noting that he does support civil unions. “There are benefits of marriage same sex should be able to enjoy.”
Ohio voters overwhelmingly passed a gay marriage ban in 2004 with nearly 62 percent of the vote. The issue passed in 87 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Athens County, home of Ohio University, was the only county where the issue failed.
The Springfield Deanery, which represents Catholic churches in Clark, Champaign, Logan and parts of Greene counties, maintains the position that marriage is something created by God.
“It is more than just a personal relationship but that it is something that has been given, that the Creator gave us both for love and for procreation,” said Rev. Dennis Caylor, dean of the Deanery. “So for us there’s no such thing as a gay marriage in a sense of our definition of marriage.”
Caylor said the church also does not support civil unions.
“In our tradition we accept that there are gay people and that they should be welcomed and they should be supported,” Caylor said. “But in our tradition we would still say sexuality is for married people, therefore anyone who is not married should remain chaste and celibate.”
The New York Times News Service and Jessica Wehrman of the Washington Bureau contributed to this report.
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