The White House released this statement to The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld in response to a request she made for greater clarification on Obama's positions with regard to Question 1 in Maine and Referendum 71 in Washington.
"The President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same-sex couples, and as he said at the Human Rights Campaign dinner, he believes ‘strongly in stopping laws designed to take rights away.' Also at the dinner, he said he supports, ‘ensuring that committed gay couples have the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple in this country.'"