Barack Obama, Pro-Gay President

Of all American presidents, Barack Obama is certainly the one who has worked the most for gay rights after only two years in office. After requiring Congress to vote to end the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, which by its nature discriminated against homosexual soldiers, Obama announced a radical policy change on Wednesday.

Via a letter sent by Attorney General Eric Holder to Congress, the president made it known that the public prosecutor would no longer defend the 1996 American law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. According to the terms of the letter, the Obama administration now believes that the law — the Defense of Marriage Act — is “unconstitutional” because it discriminates against homosexual couples.

The announcement could lead to a major evolution in gay rights in the United States. If judges are not required to recognize the right of homosexuals to marry, they cannot oppose it by citing the Defense of Marriage Act. This simply means that more and more gays can defend their right to marriage before the courts. And that the courts’ decisions will now be left up to the personal interpretation of judges. Groups defending gay rights have already announced their intention to take their case before the Supreme Court.

Until now, Barack Obama has said that he favors civil unions — not marriage — between homosexuals, but has repeatedly underscored that his position could evolve. Americans are themselves divided on gay marriage.