Bill Clinton Now Supports Same-Sex Marriage

The Nation is reporting that former Bill Clinton’s attitude toward
same-sex marriage has changed and says that last week, before an audience of college students at the Campus Progress National Conference in Washington, DC, the former president declared himself in favor of it…

This spring, same-sex marriage was legalized in Iowa, Vermont, Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire. In his most recent remarks on the subject, Clinton said, “I think all these states that do it should do it.” The former president, however, added that he does not believe that same-sex marriage is “a federal question.”

Asked if he personally supported same-sex marriage, Clinton replied, “Yeah.” “I personally support people doing what they want to do,” Clinton said. “I think it’s wrong for someone to stop someone else from doing that [same-sex marriage].”
Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 and was opposed same-sex marriage during his eight years as president. As recently as last year during his wife unsuccessful bid for the White House, he was still defending his position and the law.

Bill Clinton’s U-turn on DOMA and the gay Marriage issue is the highest-profile to date and he joins a long list of top Democrats who have recently switched their position on the issue and are now supporting Marriage Equality, including former DNC chairman Howard Dean, New York Senator Charles E. Schumer, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, and Iowa Senator Tom Harkin.

Chris Hartman of the Fairness Campaign told LGR today… “We, at the Fairness Campaign, are glad to see the former President’s position shift on this important civil rights issue, and hope that his move to support marriage equality is a precursor to many other politicians’, organizations’, and citizens’ shift to support full, fair, and equal civil rights for all Americans.”

President Barack Obama promised during his election campaign to repeal the law, but in June, his Justice Department filed a brief in federal court defending the law’s constitutionality, touching off a revolt with his LGBT community supporters.

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