Quelle Suprise!

Obama, although very subtle about it, is most definitely a Christian. And although again he hasn't been explicit about his views on gay rights it is pretty clear that he, personally, does not support same-sex marriages.

At the moment gay rights are in somewhat of a crisis. This is immediately apparent when you consider the figures:

• 30 states have created constitutional amendments outlawing same-sex marriage

• 31 states have had movements to legalise same-sex marriage that have been defeated

• Only in 5 states (MA, CN, VT, IA and NH) is same-sex marriage legal

You can probably tell that I personally support same-sex marriage. The British introduced it with a base level of fuss and since then only one controversial article has really garnered any serious attention. The reason the issue in the US is so fascinating is because everybody seems to care! There are at least 25 organisations devoted to supporting same-sex marriage and around 10 devoted to opposing it. Often the rate of turnout groups can encourage is the deciding factor; it's like a pageant crossed with a popularity contest rather than a serious constitutional debate.

Last week a landmark on the road to gay rights emerged, however. One of the keystones of the debate for same-sex marriage is that homosexual couples did not have the same rights as their heterosexual contemporaries. Obama has changed this by announcing plans to create laws that would enable partners of homosexual hospital patients to have the same visiting rights as heterosexual couples. Obviously this is not only a political milestone but a practical one too. Hospitals can be some of the most distressing and high octane places and it would help if this helped calm the problem by removing a kinda unnecessary element of practitioner's days!