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President Obama States Support for Same-Sex Marriage 11 May 2012 President Obama speaks on ABC News about his support for same-sex marriage. This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. This week, President Obama said he now supports same-sex marriage. BARACK OBAMA: I think same-sex couples should be able to get married. He became the first sitting American president to express that opinion. Earlier he had said his thinking on the issue was evolving. Reaction in Congress was mixed. Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the minority Democrats in the House of Representatives, welcomed the news. NANCY PELOSI: America’s children and families and workers saw history being made right before their very eyes: the president of the United States advancing civil rights in our country.” But Speaker John Boehner and other Republicans in the House said the president was sending the wrong message at the wrong time. JOHN BOEHNER: “I believe that marriage is the union between one man and one woman. And the president, the Democrats can talk about all this all they want. But, the fact is, the American page 1 / 3 people are focused on our economy, and they are asking the question: where are the jobs?” House Republicans are leading a court case against the administration for not defending a federal law called the Defense of Marriage Act. That nineteen ninety-six law defines marriage as between one man and one woman. In the Senate, Republicans did not say much about the presidents announcement. Instead, they stressed the need for jobs. Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid said he would support same-sex marriage if the issue were put to voters in his home state of Nevada. Mr. Obama received strong support from politically influential gays and lesbians in the two thousand eight campaign. His re-election campaign says donations from both groups have greatly increase