Gay rights moved to the forefront of the presidential campaign today after Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's announcement that he opposes a November ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage in California.
In a letter to San Francisco's Alice B. Toklas Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Democratic Club, the presumptive presidential nominee said he opposed "the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution" and similar efforts in other states.
Obama's position on Prop. 8, announced at a club event Sunday and reported in news accounts today, came after Arizona Sen. John McCain, the expected GOP standard-bearer in November, last week told officials of Protect Marriage, a coalition that gathered 1.1 million signatures for the California measure, that he backs their efforts "to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman."
For both campaigns, the decision to get involved in the same-sex marriage debate carries political risks.
Obama letter puts gay rights on campaign forefront
San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA
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