Obama's endorsement of gay marriage is hardly as consequential as Johnson's legislative success on civil rights.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Was President Obama's endorsement of gay marriage crassly political? God, I hope so.
Obama sees himself as such a huge change that he can be cautious about other societal changes. But what he doesn't realize is that legalizing gay marriage is like electing a black president. Before you do it, it seems inconceivable. Once it's done, you can't remember what all the fuss was about.
I don't really care how or why Obama got to the right place on gay marriage. I'm just glad he got there.
No candidate can win a presidential race advocating gay marriage and opposing the military action in Iraq.
Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.
Vice President Biden's surprising declaration of unqualified support for gay marriage seems to have forced President Obama into a public endorsement of a controversial social issue. It is difficult not to suspect that Biden's pronouncement aimed to give the president some political cover.
Sometime in the not too distant future, denying gays the right to marry will be viewed as historically corrupt - as corrupt as denying slaves their freedom.
Barack Obama's decision to come out in favour of gay marriage may be a historic occasion, but it is not an isolated one. His administration has been making pro-gay noises for some time; his demographic in the upcoming election is young and educated, precisely the group that favours equality for the LGBT community.
Our black president can't say that he's for gay marriage. That is upsetting to me.
The Obama years will be remembered as a cultural - and legal - tipping point for equality for all people who do not identify as strictly heterosexual, arguably the civil rights movement of our times. The president signed the bill repealing 'don't ask, don't tell.' The Defense of Marriage Act was struck down by the Supreme Court.