US president Barack Obama’s secretary of education, Arne Duncan, has become the latest administration official to declare support for same-sex marriage, going beyond the president’s “evolving” views on the issue.
Asked on MSNBC’s Morning Joe show yesterday whether he thought same-sex couples should be legally allowed to marry, he said: “Yes I do.”
Mr Duncan’s endorsement comes after US vice-president Joe Biden became the highest- ranking government official to back same-sex marriage
on Sunday, telling Meet the Press he was “absolutely comfortable” with the issue.
Mr Obama has appeared reluctant to take up the issue in an election year but has said his views are “evolving” on the subject. The comments by Mr Biden and Mr Duncan opened up speculation that the White House is moving towards a new position of support for gay marriage, beyond its stated backing for civil unions.
But Mr Obama’s main political strategist, David Axelrod, said Mr Biden’s comments were consistent with those he expressed during the 2008 campaign.
