I would like for readers to understand that marriage equality and religion are mutually exclusive. So while I respect your right to believe your beliefs they should not have any bearing on anyone other than you. I believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If you don't choose to live by my beliefs what's it to me? Nothing. Live and let live and die!

Both Lita and Velma are correct. God ordained marriage to be between a man and a woman. The other is a lie from the pit.

I support gay (equal civil rights) marriage. Marriage has been defined by society, not God, over the years. A thousand years ago my father would have sold me to the highest bidder. A hundred years ago, if I was a slave, my marriage wouldn't have been recognized and I would have been sold again to the highest bidder. And 50 years ago, I wasn't able to marry outside my race. If the homosexual community is able to serve their country, work, go to church, and be our friends; I do not see a problem with gay people getting married and have the same benefits and rights as the rest of us.
If we spent time reading our bank, 401K and loan statements (terms and conditions), as we do the Bible, our economy would probably be in better shape. We have to educate ourselves on how we live: our health, our family, our finances, our community. "We are people" and we are to blame for where we stand today. The economy, the war, the health care system is not going to get fixed overnight. Just like equal marriage will not happen overnight.
I agree with Melody Barnes and I hope the Obama administration moves forward.

I really don't think the president needs to be focus on gay or lesbian marriage.I feel they are much more things in the world we need to be paying close attention on.Such as our economy and the war that seem like its never gonna end and other things.We as a society take our eyes off whats more important.Who cares whats your sex preference and whats going on in your bedroom.I think that God didn't make a mistake putting two different genders on earth for us to reproduce.You can't do that with the same gender.Hey America wake up.Get over it.Live your life the way you think you should .Stop putting so much on the president that doesn't even matter.Lets fix America.

I'm not sure what promises are being referenced that Obama made. The only thing I remember him speaking of were doing away with Don't ask Don't tell policies (things of that nature). I don't ever remembering him making any promises in support of gay marriage. Obama has said on numerous occasions that he believes that marriage is between a man and a woman, so it seems crazy to force him to support something now that he never agreed to.

The problem is that blacks, in general, are so narrow-minded that they think civil rights=black rights. Well, wake up call, as gay black folks, we are living like second class citizens in the eyes of the government in a so-called free country. This issue has nothing to do with God and everything to do with basic rights being available to everybody. Some blacks have even been bold enough to state that immigrant rights should not be compared to the black civil rights movement. And, why should we wait? It wasn't good enough for us as blacks, why should it be for anybody else. Besides Obama made promises that he needs to keep.

Blacks are hypocrites? Please if so and they, as you said anonymous, should have been left at the back of the bus, gays and lesbians would have ABSOLUTELY NO voice now!

I think that it is somewhat disrespectful of Melody Barnes to make the statement supporting gay marriage. It seems as if she is trying to tell the President in a back-door way to have courage and support gay marriage. Why? So her friends can benefit? A republican or democrat can ignore gay issues and still get re-elected. Neither party suffers to a great extent from not having the support of the gay and lesbian community. I do not support gay marriage, repeal of don't ask, don't tell, and the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. I support having dignity and respect for all human beings, but I emphatically do not support gay marriage. Also, I have never heard of the so called "buying power" of the gay community.

Blacks are the hypocrites. We should have left them at the back of the bus. They want freedoms and rights but not for gays. That's alright, gays and lesbians have more buying power and will soon overtake this initiative.

Gays and lesbians are hypocrites.They want all aspects of heterosexual relationships whilst claiming to be incapable of such relationships.Logically there can be no such thing as a gay "marriage" or a gay "parent".

I appreciate Velma's comment. Though I have gay friends and believe that they are entitled to have their basic needs met and protected like everyone else; as a God-fearing individual, I do not believe God intended for same sex marriage. He did give us free will, so live how you want because it's not me that you'll have to answer to but I do not provide you the "right" to engage in holy matrimony.

My foundation and belief is that God made Adam and Eve the world has taken what God ordained and made it a total mess. That is what happens when you allow things to go on in the world that God did not ordain. Yes God loves all of us no matter what sin we commit, but he does not love the sin, he hates it no matter what it is. I hope and pray that the nation would could continue to pray about the decisions that they make for the world. God bless!