Is First Lady Michelle Obama nudging
President Barack Obama to endorse gay marriage?
Appearing at multiple events in New
York City on Monday to campaign for her husband's reelection, Mrs.
Obama referenced the effect recent Supreme Court appointees would
have on “whether we can … love whomever we choose,” gay weekly
Metro
Weekly reported.
The first lady did not mention marriage
equality explicitly, but the suggestion was unquestionable. Several
cases challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage
Act (DOMA) and California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8, are
currently on appeal.
“[L]et us not forget about what it
meant when my husband appointed those two magnificent Supreme Court
justices. And for the first time in history, our daughters and sons
watched three women take their seat on our nation's highest court,”
she told a crowd of about 85 supporters at an event hosted by actor
Robert de Niro and wife Grace Hightower.
“And let us not forget what their
decisions – the impact those decisions will have on our lives for
decades to come – on our privacy and security, on whether we can
speak freely, worship openly, and yes, love whomever we choose.”
The president has said that he supports
recognizing gay and lesbian couples with civil unions and that he is
“evolving” on marriage.
Evan Wolfson, founder and president of
Freedom to Marry, said that Mrs. Obama was “absolutely right that
we need to do everything we can to maximize our chances of winning
there [the Supreme Court.]”
“Who sits on the Court makes a big
difference, as does the momentum for marriage we build to create the
climate around the Court, which matters as much or more as the briefs
we file. That's why we must urgently work to win more states and
continue moving hearts and minds – and why we need our leaders to
join us all in making the case as effectively in the court of public
opinion as our advocates do in the court of law.”