Should Pres. Obama Break his Silence on Gay Marriage?

President should stay away from political hot potato during campaign season.

The views expressed in this Op-Ed do not reflect that of the Loop21.

While the presidential election seems to be zoning in on key issues like the economy and health care, there’s one political issue President Barack Obama has not fully taken a stance on: same-sex marriage.

For some time now, the president has gone on record as being personally opposed to same-sex marriage but “evolving” on the issue. While he has yet to evolve his position to an unequivocal yes, President Obama has made political moves that suggests he is finally ready to affirm his support.

To date, the president has spoken out against undertakings to deny gays and lesbians the right to marry in states like New Hampshire, Maine and Washington. After North Carolina voted a ballot measure that would amend its constitution to forbid same-sex marriage, Cameron French, Obama’s state campaign spokesman, said that the president “opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples.”

President Obama also called on the Justice Department to withdraw its support of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal ban on same-sex marriage, declaring it “unconstitutional”--a bold and telling move by the president.

For someone who personally opposes same-sex marriage, the president’s political strokes on the issue, thus far, paints an entirely different picture.

[ALSO READ: Black History of Same Sex Marriage]

It is clear that the president remains reluctant to go on record as a solid backer for same-sex marriage, as some believe it could garner dissent from his conservative Democratic base, particularly black religious and independent voters. But poll numbers don’t exactly back that theory.