This week, President Obama said he now supports same-sex marriage.BARACK OBAMA: "I think same-sex couplesshould be able to get married."He became the first sitting American presidentto express that opinion. Earlier he had saidhis thinking on the issue was "evolving."Reaction in Congress was mixed.Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the minority Democratsin the House of Representatives, welcomed the news.NANCY PELOSI: "America's children and familiesand workers saw history being maderight before their very eyes:the president of the United States advancing civil rights in our country."But Speaker John Boehner and other Republicans in the House said the president was sending the wrong message at the wrong time.JOHN BOEHNER: "I believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.And the president, the Democrats can talk aboutall this all they want.But, the fact is, the American peopleare focused on our economy,and they are asking the question:where are the jobs?"House Republicans are leading a court caseagainst the administrationfor not defending a federal lawcalled the Defense of Marriage Act.That nineteen ninety-six law defines marriageas between one man and one woman.In the Senate, Republicans did not saymuch about the president's announcement.Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid saidhe would support same-sex marriage if the issuewere put to voters in his home state of Nevada.Mr. Obama received strong supportfrom politically influential gays and lesbiansin the two thousand eight campaign.His re-election campaign saysdonations from both groups have greatly increasedsince his announcement.Mitt Romney,the likely Republican presidential candidate,opposes same-sex marriage.MITT ROMNEY: "My view is that marriageis a relationship between a man and a woman,and that is the position I have had for some timeand I don't intend to make any adjustments at this point."Support for same-sex marriage has grown in recent years,especially among younger people.A recent Gallup public opinion survey suggestedthat Americans are now evenly split on the issue.Gallup first asked the question in nineteen ninety-six.That year only twenty-seven percent of people saidthey supported same-sex marriage.The president's position on the issuegained new attention after a TV appearance Sundayby Vice President Joe Biden.He was on NBC's "Meet the Press" program.JOE BIDEN: "I am absolutely comfortable with the factthat men marrying men, women marrying women,and heterosexual men marrying womenare entitled to the same exact rights,all the civil rights, all the civil liberties."President Obama announced the changein his thinking on ABC News on Wednesday.BARACK OBAMA: "At a certain point,I just concluded that for me personally,it is important for me to go aheadand affirm that I think same-sex couplesshould be able to get married."He noted his success at ending the military's"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policyand his opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act.But Mr. Obama said he still supportsthe right of individual statesto decide the marriage issue.He spoke a day after a large majority of votersin North Carolina approved a state constitutional banon homosexual marriage.North Carolina became the thirtieth stateto pass such an amendment.The ban also includes civil unionsand domestic partnerships.Currently, six of the fifty statesand the District of Columbiaallow same-sex couples to marry.Nine states allow civil unions or provide rightsunder domestic partnership laws.And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.