Obama: My 'Evolution' on Gay Marriage Is the Same as the Rest of the Country

AP

President Barack Obama said Friday he thinks his "evolution" on gay marriage has mirrored the shift in public opinion in the country as a whole.

"We cannot discriminate against same-sex couples when it comes to marriage," Obama said. "I think this evolution I've gone through is the same evolution the country as a whole has gone through."

Speaking to White House reporters, Obama said his administration couldn't avoid filing a "friend-of-the-court" brief with the Supreme Court urging it to strike down California's Proposition 8 same-sex marriage ban.

"I felt it best to articulate what I believe and what this administration stands for," Obama said, adding that California's law provides no basis for discriminating against gay couples other than their sexual orientation.

Obama came out in favor of same-sex marriage last year after formally opposing it.

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