President Obama Responds to Candidate Scorecard

As part of questionnaire sent to all of the campaigns for president, President Obama provided a statement that lists his accomplishments on LGBT rights but points to Congress as among the major hold-ups. Obama did not come out in support of same-sex marriage; he's said in the past that his thoughts on the issue are "evolving." "I believe that Section 3 of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and should be repealed," he said instead. "I have instructed the Department of Justice to no longer defend it in court, and the Department has already filed multiple briefs supporting individuals challenging the law in court." Obama ticked off a long list of changes his administration has managed to make without the help of Congress. "A lot of work remains, and we cannot wait for Congress to act," he said, echoing a complaint about congressional inaction that he's made in other policy areas. His goal is "the more perfect union in which LGBT Americans have the same legal rights and responsibilities as every American." Now that the leading Republican candidates have been campaigning for the presidential nomination for the past year, we're getting to the point in the primary campaign where one of the remaining candidates could become the nominee. In honor of Super Tuesday, The Advocate set about to examine all of the candidates' stances on LGBT rights. In creating this primary scorecard, we sought answers directly from each campaign. Though none of the leading Republican candidates decided to provide answers, the campaigns of Obama, Libertarian hopeful Gary Johnson, and and gay GOP aspirant Fred Karger each supplied answers to The Advocate's questionnaire. Be sure to read President Obama's full statement, which is available on the fifth page.