Michelle Obama Hints at Federal Role in Gay Marriage During Chicago Fundraiser?
First Lady Michelle Obama expressed hope during a Tuesday fundraiser in Chicago that U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sonya Sotomayor and Elena Kagan will protect the right to of Americans to "love whomever we choose." The first lady also praised the repeal of "don't ask, don’t tell" (DADT), the policy that barred gays from serving opening in the military.
The somewhat controversial statement alluding to the potential legalization of gay marriage on a federal level was uttered by the President Barack Obama's wife in the middle of her speech in an event organized by the Democratic National Committee and held at Chicago‘s Plumber's Hall.
Associate Justices Kagan and Sotomayor were both appointed by President Obama. Together with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, they are the only three women in the U.S. Supreme Court.
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"Let’s not forget what it meant when my husband appointed those two brilliant Supreme Court justices, and for the first time in history our daughters and our sons watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court," Mrs. Obama said in her speech. "But more importantly, let us never forget the impact their decisions will have on our lives for decades to come -- on our privacy and our security, on whether we can speak freely, worship openly, and, yes, love whomever we choose. That is what’s at stake here."
The internet community began reacting to Obama's remarks gradually over the week. CNS News, a conservative news outlet, reacted to the first lady’s words Wednesday.
"Where is the part about loving whoever you choose in the Constitution? I'm having a hard time keeping up with the rights these Democratic constitutional scholars are giving us," a commenter by the name of "Jeff" wrote under the article, which generated a number of disapproving comments.
Mrs. Obama also mentioned the repeal of the DADT policy in the U.S. military.
"And let us not forget how, because we finally ended ‘don't ask, don't tell,’ our troops will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love," she said.
An additional highlight of the Tuesday event, for which the first lady has teamed up with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, was a possibility of taking a family photo with Mrs. Obama for, a trifle, $10,000 a family, Chicago Sun-Times reported.
