The President's endorsement of gay marriage is the first such public endorsement by any sitting United States president, and comes a few days after Vice President Joe Biden declared he was in support of gay marriage. Obama stated that his decision was based on discussions with his staff (some of whom are in same sex relationships), his family, and gay members of the military.
It is unclear how this declaration will affect the upcoming presidential election, but there is now a clear divide between President Obama's position on this issue and that of the Republican front runner, Mitt Romney, who when asked about the President's announcement said, "I have the same view on marriage that I had wen I was governor. I believe marriage is a relationship between a man and woman... my view is that domestic partner benefits, hospital visitation rights, and the like are appropriate (for gay couples) but that the others are not."