Obama Endorses LGBT-Inclusive Immigration Reform

Obama would like to see the bill include a provision for same-sex partners, but lack of it will not be a deal-breaker, he said Friday.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Trudy Ring

May 04 2013 1:01 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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President Obama reiterated Friday that would like to see the immigration reform bill include a provision allowing citizens and legal residents to sponsor immigrant same-sex partners for legal status, although he would sign a bill without it.

He spoke at a press conference in Costa Rica, where he said, "I've said in the past that the LGBT community should be treated like everybody else," adding, "We're all created equal," The Hill reports.

He said, however, that the primary issue the bill needs to address is border security, and that the same-sex partner provision, sponsored by Sen. Pat Leahy, may not end up in the final bill. "I'm not going to get everything I want in this bill and Republicans are not going to get everything they want," Obama said.