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President Barack Obama's support for gay marriage is being met witha mixed reaction around the world. In Europe, Germany's openly-gay foreign minister Guido Westerwellepraised the decision. "I think the declaration of President Obama for the recognition ofsame-sex marriage is a courageous step," Westerwelle said. "Iwelcome this not just personally, but also in the name of theGerman government." But at the Vatican Thursday, visiting Dublin Archbishop DiarmuidMartin said the church's teaching is "very clear" that marriageshould be between a man and a woman. "It doesn't mean that the rights of people in their lives can't beprotected," said Martin. "But the institution of marriage for theChurch is not a social construct which can be changed, it issomething that belongs in the fundamental teaching of the Church." Obama announced Wednesday in a television interview with ABC Newsthat he now believes same-sex couples should be allowed to get married , opening up a potentially divisive issue as he campaigns forre-election this year. Previously, he had stopped short ofsupporting gay marriage, saying his views on the issue wereevolving. Gay rights activists in Asia welcomed the Obama's change in stance. South Korea's first openly gay actor, Hong Suk-chon, said Mr.Obama's support gives hope that the same view could come from aSouth Korean leader one day. "There are lots of people who think gay people are weird, are tabooor even believe they are somewhat guilty," he said. "They are veryscared to show interest or discuss it or even to approach gaypeople. We are not dangerous people. You can just look at uscomfortably like family members, friends or co-workers. However,due to preconceived opinions, it is still very difficult to live asa gay in South Korea." Gay rights supporters in Africa also expressed hope that Obama'sannouncement will have an influence on their continent, wherehomosexuals in many countries have faced persecution and violence. "As a gay person living in Kenya I am very excited by what Obamahas said," Dennis Nzioka, a Kenyan gay rights activist, said."I think it's very evolutionary, it's very daring, it's verycourageous for a national leader, and especially for somebody likeObama to come out to support gay marriages and it shows thatsociety has evolved, that our leaders need to evolve, that thisneeds to be domesticated here in Africa and in Kenya." The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in the United States said Obama has made history by becoming thefirst sitting president to explicitly support marriage for same-sexcouples. The gay rights group, Human Rights Campaign, saidthat, "in supporting marriage equality, President Obama extends amessage of hope to a generation of young lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender Americans." The president told ABC News this is a personal position and that hearrived at his conclusion over the course of several years afterdiscussing the issue with family and friends. But the president's presumptive Republican rival, Mitt Romney, toldreporters in Oklahoma he believes marriage itself is a relationshipbetween a man and a woman, and that this is his own preference. Romney also said he realizes this is a tender and sensitive topic,as are many social issues. The Family Research Council group issued a statement saying the president's endorsement of same-sexmarriage is "disappointing but not surprising." The president's announcement comes one day after voters in NorthCarolina approved a state constitutional amendment that definesmarriage as the union between a man and a woman. The vote changesthe state's constitution to say that "marriage between one man andone woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid orrecognized" in the state. North Carolina law already banshomosexual marriage. On Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden said on NBC's "Meet the Press"program that he is "absolutely comfortable" with same-sex marriage. A new Gallup public opinion survey shows that 50 percent of Americans believe same-sex marriagesshould be recognized by law as valid. Last month, theWashington-based Pew Research Center released a survey stating that 47 percent of Americans favored gay marriage, while43 percent opposed it. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York andVermont, plus the District of Columbia, allow same-sexmarriages. The state of Washington also has legalized gaymarriage. That law takes effect in June, unless a legalchallenge stops it. In March, a measure legalizing samesex-marriage was signed into law in Maryland. The law isscheduled to go into effect next January, but opponents say theywill gather signatures to bring the issue to a referendum inNovember, giving voters a chance to define marriage in Maryland. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP andReuters. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Power Balance Silicone Bracelet , China Negative Ions Watch, and more. For more , please visit Energy Silicone Bracelet today!
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