UPDATED: Gay Marriage Opponent to Face the Music?
First came the cheesy topless photo. Now, the serious stuff: NYT: America’s most prominent gay marriage opponent facing increasing pressure to engage on gay issues (via Drudge).
I still don’t get how you can be a “fierce advocate” of gay rights and still oppose gay marriage. And apparently I’m not the only one:
[G]ay activists are beginning to wonder, “How much longer do we give him the benefit of the doubt?”
Don’t count Perez Hilton (and others following his example) among those gay activists, though. He’s already given Obama a pass. Apparently, hating Carrie Prejean is more important than the cause.
But getting a pass from Perez and his gang doesn’t even begin to solve Obama’s problems:
While Mr. Obama has said he is “open to the possibility” that his views on same-sex marriage are misguided, he has offered no signal that he intends to change his position. And as he confronts that and other issues important to gay rights advocates, he faces an array of pressures and risks.
Anything substantive he might say on same-sex marriage…would be endlessly parsed. If Mr. Obama were to embrace same-sex marriage, he would be seen as reversing a campaign position and alienating some moderate and religious voters he has courted.
And if he appoints a gay person to the Supreme Court, he would be viewed by social conservatives — including many black ministers, another of his core constituency groups — as putting a vote for same-sex marriage on the highest court in the land.
UPDATE: Ace links with related content. Thanks!
