The Hill News

President Obama remains opposed to same-sex marriage despite a federal judge's decision to strike down a ban on such marriages, a top White House adviser said Thursday.

Senior adviser David Axelrod said that the president supports "equality" for gay and lesbian couples, but did not say directly what was Obama's position on yesterday's court ruling, which struck down California's Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage in the state, as unconstitutional.

"The president does oppose same sex marriage but he supports equality for gay and lesbian couples," Axelrod said during an appearance on MSNBC.

The Obama administration has found itself in a difficult position at times on the issue of gay rights. The president has endorsed civil unions and repealing the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. He's also expanded benefits to federal employees in same-sex relationships.

But Obama has also come under fi! re for not moving quickly or aggressively enough on issues important to the LGBT community, which welcomed yesterday's decision by a federal judge. The decision argued that gay and lesbian couples were protected against discrimination by the constitution, reasoning bans on same-sex marriage do exactly that. The decision is expected to face appeal, perhaps all the way to the Supreme Court.

Axelrod noted that Obama had opposed Prop 8 all along.

"The president opposed Proposition 8 at the time -- he felt it was divisive and mean spirited," he said, adding that Obama believes that governing marriage is "an issue for the states."