Obama's Definition of Manliness

“Obama gave a striking endorsement of gay marriage that was missed by most of the press at his speech to graduates at historically-black Morehouse College in Atlanta.

"Keep setting an example for what it means to be a man," said Obama, according to Buzzfeed. "Be the best husband to your wife, or your boyfriend, or your partner."

The comment is surprising because it was made to an audience that isn't necessarily sympathetic to gay marriage: at a college in the South - in Georgia - attended by African Americans, the subset of Democrats perhaps least sympathetic to gay rights.

The remark was also unplanned. Obama's prepared speech read as follows: "Be the best husband to your wife, or boyfriend to your partner, or father to your children that you can be." 

The phrase "boyfriend to your partner" could refer to both a gay or straight relationship. But what Obama actually said, "be the best husband...to your boyfriend," is an unmistakeable celebration of gay marriage. Given the circumstances, the line was truly extraordinary, writes Slate's Will Saletan:

He ad-libbed. And this was a heck of a time to do it. The speech was about what it means to be a man. The president of the United States, who until a year ago didn't support same-sex marriage, has just put an official stamp of masculinity on male homosexuality.

Even if Obama just misspoke, it's still significant, Saletan writes. It tells us what the president really thinks about gay marriage.”


Via Buzzfeed.