The controversy surrounding same-sex marriage was given some presidential attention, as President Barack Obama's Minnesota campaign announced that it opposes a state ballot initiative that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. "While the President does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear that the President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples," spokeswoman Kristen Sosanie said in a statement. "That's what the Minnesota ballot initiative would do—it would single out and discriminate against committed gay and lesbian couples—and that's why the President does not support it."
Obama's message is quite the same in North Carolina, as he issued a statement in March using similar language in opposition to Amendment One, which would define marriage in the state's constitution as between one man and one woman. Same-sex marriage is already banned in both North Carolina and Minnesota, but unlike the North Carolina amendment, the Minnesota amendment does not include "civil unions" or "domestic partnerships." Despite public outcry for the President to allow same-sex marriages in all 50 states, Obama has said that his views continue to "evolve" when the subject includes gay marriage.
