Hillary Clinton announced her support for same-sex marriage on Monday, reversing the position she took on the issue in 2008 when she was running for president.
“LGBT Americans are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends, our loved ones,” Clinton said in a video released by the Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay rights group. “And they are full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship. That includes marriage. … I support it personally, and as matter of policy and law.”
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Clinton’s announcement, coming two months after resigning as secretary of state, was not a surprise as both her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea made statements in favor of the policy last year.
During the 2008 Democratic primary cycle, Clinton said she favored civil unions but opposed same-sex marriages. But gay marriage has become something of a litmus test issue for Democratic candidates since her presidential bid.
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Even while staying silent on the issue during her tenure as secretary of state, other Obama officials such as Vice President Joe Biden and Education Secretary Arne Duncan voiced their support for the measure.
In fact, President Barack Obama changed his view on the matter last year, only after Biden spoke out, saying he evolved on the issue.
Clinton voiced a similar evolution in the six-minute video. “Like so many others my personal views have been shaped over time by people I have known and loved, by my experience representing our nation on the world stage, my devotion to law and human rights and the guiding principles of my faith,” she said,
“Marriage, after all, is a fundamental building block of our society. A great joy, and yes, a great responsibility.”
Several possible contenders for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination have been in the forefront on gay rights issue, as both New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley pushed for same-sex marriage recognition in their states.
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