Letters: Obama and same-sex marriage
US President Barack Obama speaks during the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) 18th Annual Gala Dinner in Washington. (May 8, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
Newsday's coverage of President Barack Obama's flip-flop on same-sex marriage was no different from any other mainstream publication focused on getting this president re-elected ["Obama finally out on same-sex vows," Editorial, May 10].
Obama has gone back and forth on this issue, and yet those in the press can't bring themselves to call this politician a flip-flopper. Instead, you endorse his description of his revolving position as an "evolutionary leap" as though this was some years-long soul-search from some amazingly intelligent visionary, instead of what it really is: a money-raising political stunt pulled off by a desperate campaign.
Only with his allies in the press does he ever stand a chance of getting away with this. Honest reporting would out that he has repeatedly morphed this policy position to pander to a particular electorate. He needs to apologize to the gay community for using it as a political football all these years.
Mike Quadrino, Smithtown
I give President Barack Obama enormous credit for standing up for gay marriages. I believe that recognition from the president sends an incredibly supportive and positive message to all of our gay youth and adults who struggle to come out because of the terrible shame they feel.
Being a gay woman, I understand the enormous pain and difficulty that are part of accepting one's homosexuality. I cannot speak for all gays, but it was not a choice for me. I would've rather been anything else but gay when I first came out in the early 1990s.
I completely understand Obama's explanation that his position was an evolution, because many people do not understand anything outside of what our society has deemed normal. These people either have to go through it themselves or become very close to someone who is gay, and then they fully understand our plight and look to defend it.
Ignorance is at the stem of this, and educating the public about the importance of acceptance, tolerance and equality is key. Religion should not be used as a reason to deny us our civil rights.
Carolyn Mandel, Massapequa
