“Same-sex couples should be able to get married.”—President Obama
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 9, 2012[[MORE]]
President Obama announced today that he personally is in favor of same-sex marriage becoming the first sitting president to support gay marriage. Latinos took to social media to give their thoughts on the news.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who was named chairman of the Democratic National Convention, came out in support of the president.
We stand w/Pres. Obama – love doesn’t have a color, love doesn’t care if you’re gay or straight. Love doesn’t discriminate #MarriageEquality
— Antonio Villaraigosa (@villaraigosa) May 9, 2012
Ricky Martin lauded the statement by Obama.
I applaud President @barackobama for affirming that ALL Americans should enjoy equal rights. Historic! I will be a very proud host on Monday
— Ricky Martin (@ricky_martin) May 9, 2012
Latino groups provided data saying the majority of Latinos agree with the president.
54% of the #Latino community supports #marriageequality and today President Obama joined their ranks. ow.ly/aO6C5#LGBT
— NCLR (@NCLR) May 9, 2012
59% of #Hispanics say #homosexuality should be accepted by society, 30% say discouraged (similar to overall U.S.) pewrsr.ch/Jfqt3Z
— Pew Hispanic Center (@PewHispanic) May 9, 2012
But not everyone was happy with his decision. Democratic New York State Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz tweeted a statement admonishing the president for his stance.
“As a conservative Democrat, I am very disappointed with President Barack Obama regarding his announcement today in favor of gay marriage,” the statement read.
“It is well known that in every state where the people have had the opportunity to vote, including in North Carolina this week, the people have rejected gay marriage. Even though the polls indicate that the majority of Americans favor gay marriage, the reality is clearly very different when the people are given the right to vote on this issue.”
A Latino Republican group, the Cafe Con Leche Republicans, connected Obama’s statement with his record deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Does this mean Obama will start deporting gays too? >>> Obama Backs Gay Marriage – goo.gl/U2BT6 #Latinos #Hispanics #Latism
— Cafe con Leche GOP (@CafeConLecheGOP) May 9, 2012
Despite some dissension, a majority of the reaction on Twitter and social media was in support of the president. The hashtag, #MrPresident was trending in the United States afterwards, where people offered their thanks to Obama.
News from @AP: Obama voices his support for gay marriage. Kudos Mr. President!! Equality for all!! apne.ws/ILk6Ib%0A
— Orlando Rivera-Soto (@oriverasoto) May 9, 2012
Thank you Mr. President #equality
— Andrew Ramirez (@AndrewJRamirez) May 9, 2012
[...] With President Obama’s announcement earlier this year that he personally was in favor of gay marriage, many said it was yet another example of changing attitudes among Americans. A new NBC Latino/IBOPE Zogby survey says 6 out of 10 Latinos in the sample agree that same-sex couples have the right to marry. [...]
[...] President Obama’s announcement earlier this year that he personally was in favor of gay marria… many said it was yet another example of changing attitudes among Americans. A new NBC Latino/IBOPE [...]