• Mike Huckabee has firmly expressed his opposition to gay
marriage by supporting a constitutional amendment banning it.
Explaining his stance, he has provided the clarification that he
is a firm supporter of traditional marriage and therefore opposes
anything which is an alternative to the traditional form of
marriage.

• On comparing same-sex marriage with polygamy, Mike
Huckabee questions those who find his views bigoted and
intolerant by asking that when the same stand is taken against
polygamy then there are no accusations which are made.

• In spite of his opposition, Mike Huckabee holds the
personal opinion that every individual has the right to decide
his own sexual preference regardless of the opinion held by
others even though the choice may not be consistent with the
rules of the Bible.

• Mike Huckabee is of the view that instead of approving
same-sex marriage people should be concentrating on improving the
existent norm of a heterosexual marriage as this is the only way
to improve the society.

• Expressing the view that same-sex marriage would mean
re-defining the institution of marriage, Mike Huckabee says that
a re-definition of an age-old institution is not required by the
society if the goals of progress and improvement in the right
direction are to be achieved.

• Mike Huckabee has long been associated with the movement
which opposes granting of any rights to same-sex couples. In this
regard, he has even expressed his dismay at the court ruling
which rejected a ban on same-sex parents saying that the court
seems more interested in granting the needs of gay couples rather
than the needs of children requiring foster care.		

• All through his 2008 campaign, Barack Obama had been a
staunch supporter of gay rights and had proved that stand by
sponsoring legislation in the state of Illinois which aims to ban
any discrimination which is based on the sexual orientation of a
particular individual. 

• Being a firm believer in gay equality, Barack Obama
supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act which provides
consideration for sexual orientation and gender identity. This is
in response to a personal observation made by Obama that although
many employers extend benefits to the families of their
employees, there are some who still practice discrimination
because of the sexual preference. 

• However, Obama does not support same-sex marriage saying
that it is an issue which should be decided by each of the states
individually by taking into account their existing social
conditions. While he opposes same-sex marriage, he supports civil
unions between same-sex couples.
 
• Reacting to the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy of the
military, Obama has taken the stance that the criteria for
military service should be patriotism towards one's country, a
sense of duty and responsibility and the willingness to serve in
such a service. In such a situation, he is against the present
policy of decommissioning soldiers on the basis of their sexual
orientation as he feels that this is akin to going against the
goals of national defense.
 
• Continuing his role as a protector of children, Obama
believes that a healthy and loving home is the right of every
child and should be granted to him irrespective of the sexual
orientation of the parents. 
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• In January 2008, Obama addressed homophobia in the
African-American community.  He was speaking to 2,000 worshippers
on the eve of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday at one of the
nation?s premier black churches, Atlanta?s Ebenezer Baptist
Church, where King once preached. He stated, ?If we are honest
with ourselves, we'?ll acknowledge that our own community has not
always been true to King?s vision of a beloved community, we have
scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them.