Obama on Gay Marriage: 'Evolving,' Warming

Barack Obama was in favor of gay marriage before Senator Obama was against it, and now President Obama is again considering the issue, having said publicly that his views are "evolving." Obama will headline a pair of events for the gay community in coming weeks, and as he ramps up his re-election campaign, the White House is exploring the political realities of a sitting president endorsing same-sex marriage, reports the New York Times.

Obama isn't under huge pressure from the gay community, having yanked the legal carpet out from under the Defense of Marriage Act and championed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal. But with public support shifting in favor of gay marriage, the timing might be right for a president whose stance appears to be shifting from what's politically pragmatic to what is morally just. “This is clearly a president who is interested in making big historical changes,” says a strategist. “I think this issue has moved into that context for him.” (More President Obama stories.)