SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A Seminole County pastor who advises President Obama on spiritual matters told WFTV he is disappointed in the president's decision to support gay marriage.
The president made the landmark announcement in an exclusive interview on ABC News Wednesday afternoon.
“At a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” said Obama.
Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support gay marriage. He made the decision without talking first to his spiritual adviser in central Florida.
“There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we've been talking and about their friends and their parents, and Malia and Sasha would... it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friend's parents would be treated differently,” said Obama.
Just after making that announcement, the president phoned Dr. Joel Hunter, pastor of Northland Church in Seminole County, to talk about his decision.
Hunter said he would have tried to talk the president out of making that decision, but he doesn't think it would have changed things. It was an issue the two had not discussed before.
“It wasn't something we were able to talk through or I would've talked him out of it,” said Dr. Joel Hunter, Pastor of Northland Church in Longwood.
Hunter was surprised by the president’s change in position.
“Are you disappointed with his views?” asked WFTV’s Ryan Hughes.
“I'm disappointed; not entirely surprised because he thinks with his heart and he has several relationships around him that are gay people,” said Hunter, who leads a congregation of 15,000.
Hunter said it isn't his personal view, but God's view. Hunter stands by scripture as the foundation of marriage between a man and a woman only.
“Do you have any relatives who are gay?” Hughes asked.
“Yes,” said Hunter.
“What do you think of them?”
“I love them,” he replied.
“What if they wanted to get married?”
“I would disagree with that,” said Hunter.
Hunter said despite the disagreement, he expects his relationship with the president to remain strong.
Same-sex couples in central Florida applauded the president for finally solidifying his position and backing gay marriage.
“I think it's a phenomenal step forward,” said Seth Hunnicutt. ”I think it's going to be a big wave of change.”
Hunnicutt and Clay Farrar got married almost a year ago in Washington DC, where same sex marriage is legal. Now they live in Winter Park and they said they believe the president’s support will usher in a wave of change.
Meanwhile, the man presumed to take on Obama in November’s election spoke out after the president's announcement.
Mitt Romney addressed the same-sex marriage debate during a speech in Oklahoma on Wednesday.
He did not attack the president's support on the issue, but simply re-stated his own stance.
"My view is that marriage itself is a relationship between a man and a woman. And that's my own preference,” said Romney.
Despite his support, the president did say he thinks it's up to individual states to decide how to handle the issue.
Thirty-one states, including Florida, currently have some sort of legislation banning same-sex marriage.
WFTV
