Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Obama Rips Republicans Who Are Still Trying To Get Rid Of Gay Marriage In Scathing Speech

Obama Rips Republicans Who Are Still Trying To Get Rid Of Gay Marriage In Scathing Speech
The Hill/YouTube

Former Democratic President Barack Obama spoke out this weekend against Republicans who are still, more than six years since it became the law of the land, attempting to overturn same-sex marriage rights.

Obama's comments came during a speech he delivered in Richmond, Virginia Saturday in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.


Obama's speech comes after McAuliffe's Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin, confirmed in an interview he does not agree with marriage equality for LGBTQ+ people.

See Obama's speech below.

youtu.be

Referencing Youngkin and Republicans like him, Obama said:

"Are we still arguing about gay marriage? Really? I thought that ship had sailed. I thought that was pretty clearly the right thing to do."

Same-sex marriage became legal in 2015 after years of state and federal level court battles when one such case, Obergefell v. Hodges, landed before the Supreme Court, which ruled same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional.

Expansion of LGBTQ+ rights and protections is considered one of Obama's signature achievements and is often credited with helping move the United States in a more LGBTQ+-inclusive direction. That trend reversed during former Republican President Donald Trump's administration, which overturned much of Obama's LGBTQ+ related policies.

Youngkin is one of several Republicans in recent years who seem eager to carry an anti-LGBTQ+ mantle. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Youngkin stated plainly he does not agree with LGBTQ+ marriage equality, though he added he will "support" the law as written on the matter.

Youngkin presents a stark contrast to McAuliffe, who supported his state's effort to legalize LGBTQ+ marriage equality in 2014, and included the issue in his platform during his 2013 run for governor.

Like most Republicans, Youngkin also believes the 2020 election was stolen by Democratic President Joe Biden, has called for an audit of Virginia's voting machines and has financially backed politicians in favor of the January 6 coup attempt.

Obama rebuked Youngkin for this, too.

"Encouraging the lies and conspiracy theories we've had to live through all this time and yet we're supposed to believe he's going to stand up for our democracy?"

On Twitter, people applauded the former President's straight talk about Youngkin's stances.











The most recent polling shows McAuliffe and Youngkin in a very closely contested race, with McAuliffe having a slight edge within most polls' margin of error.

More from News/lgbtq

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less