Frank Bruni on President Obama's "Historic Words"

In relation to President Obama's announcement of support today for marriage equality, the latest from New York Times columnist Frank Bruni really says it well. Following is an excerpt.

. . . [M]ake no mistake: history was made today, and millions of Americans right now feel that their country has shown them a new, heightened degree of the respect they richly deserve.

Our highest elected official, our president, said that same-sex couples should have the right to marry, something that none of his predecessors had done, something that he had refused to do since becoming a national political figure. There’s a powerful message in that.

For a variety of reasons, marriage equality over the last five years became the issue that gay men and lesbians put their chips on, and it became the test of where you stood on the question of whether they warranted equal treatment under the law, whether they were worthy of full acceptance into American life. It evolved, even as the president did, into a matter as grandly symbolic as it is legalistic and practical.

So for Barack Obama to say – as it’s clear, from the ABC excerpts already released, that he did – that he supports the right of gay men and lesbians to marry is for him to communicate, at long last, from the tallest and most important bully pulpit in the world, that he sees us as the equals of all other Americans, our humanity as unassailable, our dignity as unquestioned, our contributions as vital and meaningful. . . .

To read Frank Bruni's commentary in its entirety, click here.


Related Off-site Links:
Obama Lets Go of Fear – Andrew Sullivan (The Daily Beast, May 9, 2012).
A Watershed Move, Both Risky and Inevitable – Adam Nagourney (New York Times Times, May 9, 2012).
Gay Marriage: After Obama Speaks Out, So Does Nation – Molly Hennessy-Fiske (Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2012).
Catholic Coalition Lauds Obama's Endorsement of Marriage Equality – Francis DeBernardo (Bondings 2.0, May 10, 2012).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Quote of the Day – May 9, 2012
Lisa Cressman's Concise, Reasonable Answers to Marriage Equality Questions
Marriage Equality: Simple Answers to NOM's Complicated Lies
Tips on Speaking as a Catholic in Support of Marriage Equality
A Head and Heart Response to the Catholic Hierarchy's Opposition to Marriage Equality
Marriage: "Part of What is Best in Human Nature"
Daniel Maguire: "Heterosexism, Not Homosexuality, is the Problem"