White House abandons legal case against gay marriage

Hour 1

In December, when President Obama signed the repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy and allowed gays to serve openly in the armed services, he reaffirmed that he does not support marriage for same-sex couples. However, he acknowledged that his position was “constantly evolving.” And two months later, evidence of that evolution rocked the pitched battle over legal definitions of marriage, one of the most divisive civil rights issues of our times. Through Attorney General Eric Holder, President Obama instructed federal attorneys to “not to defend” the Defense of Marriage Act in court, deeming it unconstitutional and reversing White House policy. Joining us to discuss this development is TOBIAS BARRINGTON WOLFF, Penn law professor and White House advisor on LGBT issues; MAGGIE GALLAGHER, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage; and LIZ BRADBURY, executive director of the Allentown-based Pennsylvania Diversity Network.

Listen to the mp3

Listen:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.