President Barack Obama reiterated his
support for gay marriage as he hosted his third Gay Pride reception
at the White House on Friday.
Roughly 500 people attended the annual
event, which took place in the East Room.
Obama touted his administration's work
on gay rights issues, including repealing the military's ban on
openly gay service members, lifting the HIV travel ban, expanding
benefits for the spouses of federal employees who are gay, and
passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act.
The president also reiterated his stand
on gay nuptials.
“And Americans may be still evolving
when it comes to marriage equality, but as I've indicated personally,
Michelle and I have made up our minds on this issue.”
He concluded with: “And as long as I
have the privilege of being your president, I promise you, you won't
just have a friend in the White House, you will have a fellow
advocate for an American where no matter what you look like or where
you come from or who you love, you can dream big dreams and dream as
openly as you want.” (The video is embedded in the right panel of
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