Mayor Michael Bloomberg
"This is a major turning point in the history of American civil rights. No American president has ever supported a major expansion of civil rights that has not ultimately been adopted by the American people ? and I have no doubt that this will be no exception. The march of freedom that has sustained our country since the Revolution of 1776 continues, and no matter what setbacks may occur in a given state, freedom will triumph over fear and equality will prevail over exclusion. Today's announcement is a testament to the President's convictions, and it builds on the courageous stands that so many Americans have taken over the years on behalf of equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans, stretching back to the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village."
Congressman Jerrold Nadler
"I applaud President Obama for announcing his support for marriage equality today. For the first time in this nation's history, a sitting president has shown the courage and leadership to stand up for all American families by pledging to support the fundamental right of every person to marry the person they love, and to have that marriage fully respected. I commend President Obama for this brave and honest step. Those who seek to politicize civil rights for personal or political gain will certainly attack him, but the course toward marriage equality and justice is the correct and inevitable path."
Senator Thomas Duane The announcement today by President Barack Obama in support of marriage equality is historic. If you would have told me five years ago that a sitting President of the United States would publicly express the right of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) citizens to marry, and for full equality for our families, I would not have believed it. As the first openly gay State Senator in the State of New York, I was the original and prime sponsor of NY's historic Marriage Equality Act. As proud as I was of New York for its passage of Marriage Equality, so too am I proud of President Obama's courageous decision to publicly support it nationwide. We must do all we can as a community to insure Barack Obama remains President for another four years.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn "This is an amazing day, our President coming out in support of marriage equality. President Obama's declaration that marriage is a right for all people is an act of courage that will go down in history as the moment the tide changed for LGBT Americans. When the President of the United States validates you, your family, your friends and your loved ones by saying that yes - you are full citizens who deserve full equal rights - it's a truly American moment. Today President Obama gave hope to a new generation of LGBT youth who will grow up knowing there is nothing wrong with who they are, and that no matter how bad things may seem, the President, and the United States of America stands with them. Even with a recent setback in North Carolina, now that we have the support of President Obama, we have never been closer to making marriage equality a reality for everyone, everywhere then we are now. Today, we are on the cusp of change, and I'm enormously grateful and proud of President Obama, marriage equality advocates and everyone who has worked so hard to bring us to this moment. Thank you for all you have done, and all we will continue to do for equality." Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer "President Obama's endorsement of same sex marriage is a transformational moment in the fight for equality worldwide. By stating definitively that he supports expanding a fundamental right that most Americans take for granted, President Obama has shown his commitment to being on the right side of history."
