Timeline of Obama's Views on Same-Sex Marriage—PICTURES

By National Journal Staff

Updated: May 9, 2012 | 5:09 p.m.
May 9, 2012 | 4:56 p.m.

Gay marriage should be legal, President Obama said in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, a reversal from his previously stated positions on the topic.

Here's a look at what Obama has said about gay marriage through the years, based on research from Yahoo News and ABC.

In 1996: In a typed and signed statement, Obama said: “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages,” but in 2011, his staff said the statement was filled out by someone else. (Photo from 2004.) (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

In 2004: Obama said he believed marriage was between a man and a woman. He also said that didn't necessarily mean marriage was a civil right. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

In 2010: Obama spoke to liberal bloggers and said that positions evolve, including his own, but that he was unwilling to support gay marriage at that time. Photo: President Obama signs the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

In 2011: After New York legalized gay marriage, Obama said that each state would make its own decisions. “I think what you’re seeing is a profound recognition on the part of the American people that gays and lesbians, and transgender persons are our brothers, our sisters, our children, our cousins, our friends, our coworkers, and that they’ve got to be treated like every other American,” he said. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.