Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of
former President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier
Kennedy, has urged President Barack Obama to support marriage
equality.
“Falling in love, getting married,
and building a family is part of the American dream,” said Kennedy,
53, in a statement. “I believe that all Americans, including
committed gay and lesbian couples, should have the opportunity to
pursue that dream.”
Kennedy, who joined Obama on the
campaign trail in 2008, became the 100,000th signer to
Freedom to Marry's open letter to the president.
The group's Say I Do campaign
launched in March with the support of actors Anne Hathaway, Jane
Lynch, Martin Sheen, Lily Tomlin, Eric McCormack and Portia
DeGeneres, musicians Melissa Etheridge, Mya and Rufus Wainwright,
playwright Tony Kusher and studio executive David Geffen. Also
included are social media titans Jack Dorsey, creator of Twitter, and
Chris Hughes, co-creator of Facebook, and NFL athletes Brendon
Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens and Scott Fujita of the Cleveland
Browns.
“We're honored that Caroline Kennedy
has singed on to Freedom to Marry's Say I Do campaign,” said
Freedom to Marry's Sean Eldridge. “A growing chorus of voices is
calling on the president to complete his journey and join the
majority of Americans who support the freedom to marry.”
Obama has said he personally supports
government recognition of gay unions but not marriage. However, he
recently suggested that gay marriage might be on his second term
agenda.