Appearing Friday at a public high
school on the southside of Chicago, President Barack Obama applauded
gay parents.
“Hey, Chicago!” the president said
in addressing students, faculty and parents from the Hyde Park Career
Academy. “It is good to be home!”
“Some people may not know this, but
obviously, this is my old neighborhood. I used to teach right around
the corner. This is where Michelle and I met, where we fell in
love.”
“This is where we raised our
daughters, in a house just about a mile away from here – less than
a mile. And that's really what I've come here to talk about today –
raising your kids.”
Among those in attendance were Chicago
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Governor Pat Quinn, Senator Dick Durbin and
Representative Bobby Rush.
“There's no more important ingredient
for success, nothing that would be more important for us reducing
violence than strong, stable families – which means we should do
more to promote marriage and encourage fatherhood. Don't get me
wrong – as the son of a single mom, who gave everything she had to
raise me with the help of my grandparents, I turned out okay.”
“But at the same time, I wish I had
had a father who was around and involved. Loving, supportive
parents – and, by the way, that's all kinds of parents – that
includes foster parents, and that includes grandparents, and extended
families; it includes gay and straight parents.” (The video is
embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
Obama spoke a day after the Illinois
Senate approved a bill seeking to make Illinois the 10th
state to legalize marriage for gay and lesbian couples. The measure
now heads to the House.