Dan Savage Calls Obama’s DOMA Announcement ‘Very Heartening’

The president is still hedging his bets on gay marriage, but his decision to back a bill that would repeal the hateful Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by Bill Clinton, won him praise this week from some of his toughest critics. Dan Savage called it a sign that backing gay rights is now “the politically smart thing to do.”

Savage, the famed sex columnist, “This American Life” contributor and founder of the It Gets Better Project, has been among those calling on President Obama to do more for the gay community.

Speaking via email with Talking Points Memo DC, Savage said the announcement that Obama is backing legislation to repeal DOMA means that political momentum is now on the side of history. — PZS

TPMDC:

Dan Savage says President Obama’s decision to support efforts to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act signals a big shift in the way Democratic politicians handle the LGBT community — a community that often supports them, only to see their hopes dashed once those Democrats take office.

He credited the move as a sign gay politics are now going mainstream.

“I think it’s great, very heartening, in part because it’s clear that the cold, political calculations are adding up in our favor now,” Savage told TPM over email. “We’re seeing significant political movement in our direction because it’s not just the right thing to do, or the just thing, but because, in the long run, it’s the politically smart thing to do.”