Last week, we looked at how
Hillary Clinton has evolved in her views on gay rights and marriage. Clinton didn’t come out in favor of gay marriage until 2013, behind President Obama and other Democrats who had already come around. However, since announcing her support in a
video for the Human Rights Campaign in 2013, she hasn’t been very vocal on the subject.
Three days after announcing her presidential bid, however, Clinton finally took a concrete stand on gay marriage. In a statement to the
Washington Blade, Hillary for America spokesperson Adrienne Elrod said, “Hillary Clinton supports marriage equality and hopes the Supreme Court will come down on the side of same-sex couples being guaranteed that constitutional right.”
After years of uncertainty on the subject, this explicit statement offers some comfort. In an
interview with NPR in 2014, Clinton was not quite so decisive and spoke about DOMA’s ability to let the states make these decisions for themselves. Though the ruling this summer will occur far before any potential presidency for Clinton, taking a stand on the right to marry could greatly improve her popularity as a progressive candidate and assure that she is on the right side of history.
The Supreme Court will be hearing arguments on federal gay marriage beginning this month and will have a decision by the end of June.
