Barack Obama says marriage equality is the movement that impressed him most
Barack Obama opened a town hall styled meeting in London today (April 23). On second day of his UK visit, the US president addressed young people and answered their questions.
The Guardian reports that when asked what grassroots movements had impressed him most, Obama said the marriage equality campaign.
“It’s probably been the fastest set of changes in terms of social movement that I’ve seen.”
He said he started to back civil partnerships but his gay friends persuaded him that the partnerships didn’t go far enough. He said, “It’s not simply about legal rights, but about a sense of stigma. If you are calling it something different it means less in the eyes of society.”
He also praised the Black Lives Matter movement for raising awareness. Then, further on in the question and answer, Obama was urged to do more for the transgender community when an audience member said they were going to do something “crazy” before coming out to him as a non-binary person despite her parents not knowing.
“That wasn’t crazy – I thought you were going to ask to come up here and dance with me.”
Obama also criticised the anti-LGBT laws in North Carolina and Mississippi.
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