US President Barack Obama has never fully backed gay marriage, having said for the last 18 months that his personal views on the matter have been “evolving”. However, with Vice President Joe Biden and Education Secretary Arne Duncan both having recently expressed unequivocal support for gay marriage, Obama’s vagueness on the issue is squarely under the spotlight at the moment.

During his first term as president, Obama has tried to satisfy Democrats by supporting a number of gay rights, but walking a fine line around public support for gay marriage in order not to alienate independent voters.

So, in states where gay marriage is legal, Obama has said that all married couples – straight or gay – should have equal rights. Yet he has never expressly supported the right of gay couples to wed in the first place. Even his staff admit that this is pretty confusing.

Polls have revealed that Obama’s non-committal stance on gay marriage is increasingly at odds not only with the standpoint of his Democratic party, but also with the majority of Americans. This is very likely to be a pressure point for him when he is challenged on his views in the lead up to this year’s elections in November, and it’s going to be fascinating watching him navigate the increasing scrutiny of the public in the coming months.

[Source: AP]