这里是美国之音慢速英语新闻报道。
This week, President Obama said he now supports same-sex marriage.
本周奥巴马总统表示他支持同性婚姻。
BARACK OBAMA: "I think same-sex couples should be able to get married."
奥巴马：“我认为同性伴侣应该能够结婚。”
He became the first sitting American president to express that opinion. Earlier he had said his thinking on the issue was "evolving."
他成为首位表达这一意见的在任美国总统。此前他曾经表示，他在这一问题上的观点在“演变”。
Reaction in Congress was mixed. Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the minority Democrats in the House of Representatives, welcomed the news.
国会对此的反应是喜忧参半。众议院少数派民主党领袖佩洛西对此表示欢迎。
NANCY PELOSI: "America's children and families and workers saw history being made right before their very eyes: the president of the United States advancing civil rights in our country."
洛佩西：“美国人亲眼见证了这一历史：美国总统推进了美国公民的权利。”
But Speaker John Boehner and other Republicans in the House said the president was sending the wrong message at the wrong time.
但众议院议长博纳和其他共和党人表示，奥巴马总统在一个错误的时间传达了一个错误的讯息。
JOHN BOEHNER: "I believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. And the president, the Democrats can talk about all this all they want. But, the fact is, the American people are focused on our economy, and they are asking the question: where are the jobs?"
博纳：“我认为婚姻是男人和女人之间的结合。总统和民主党人可以就此高谈阔论。但事实是，美国人民关注的是经济，他们的问题是，工作在哪里？”
House Republicans are leading a court case against the administration for not defending a federal law called the Defense of Marriage Act. That nineteen ninety-six law defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
众议院共和党人就政府当局未能捍卫联邦《婚姻保护法案》发起法庭诉讼。这一签署于1996年的法案将婚姻定义为一男一女之间。
In the Senate, Republicans did not say much about the president's announcement. Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid said he would support same-sex marriage if the issue were put to voters in his home state of Nevada.
参议院中的共和党人对总统的声明未作过多评论。参议院多数派民主党领袖里德表示，如果在他的家乡内华达州，这一问题被交由选民表决，他会支持同性婚姻。
Mr. Obama received strong support from politically influential gays and lesbians in the two thousand eight campaign. His re-election campaign says donations from both groups have greatly increased since his announcement.
在2008年选举中，奥巴马先生获得了有政治影响力的男、女同性恋群体的大力支持。奥巴马连任竞选部门表示，自奥巴马发表公开声明以来，来自这两个群体的捐款大幅增加。
Mitt Romney, the likely Republican presidential candidate, opposes same-sex marriage.
罗姆尼这位最具可能的共和党总统候选人则反对同性婚姻。
MITT ROMNEY: "My view is that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman, and that is the position I have had for some time and I don't intend to make any adjustments at this point."
罗姆尼：“我的观点是，婚姻是一男一女之间的事情。这是我一直以来的立场，在这一点上我也无意改变。”
Support for same-sex marriage has grown in recent years, especially among younger people. A recent Gallup public opinion survey suggested that 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 said they supported same-sex marriage.
近年来，同性婚姻支持者不断壮大，特别是在年轻人中。最近一次盖洛普民意调查显示，美国人在这一问题上的态度不相上下。盖洛普机构于1996年第一次抛出这一问题，当时只有27%的人对同性婚姻表示支持。
The president's position on the issue gained new attention after a TV appearance Sunday by Vice President Joe Biden. He was on NBC's "Meet the Press" program.
在副总统拜登上周日在电视上亮相之后，奥巴马总统的立场引发了新的关注。拜登当时是在参加美国广播公司（NBC）的《会见新闻界》节目。
JOE BIDEN: "I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying one another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties."
拜登：“男人与男人或女人与女人之间的婚姻和异性恋的婚姻应该享有完全相同的权利，我对此绝不会感到不舒服。”
President Obama announced the change in his thinking on ABC News on Wednesday.
奥巴马总统周三在美国广播公司新闻上宣布了他观点的改变。
BARACK OBAMA: "At a certain point, I 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."
奥巴马：“在这一点上，我个人的结论是，我确定同性伴侣应该能够结婚。”
He noted his success at ending the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and his opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act.
他指出了他在结束美国军队“不问不说”政策上的成功，以及他对《婚姻保护法案》的反对立场。
But Mr. Obama said he still supports the right of individual states to decide the marriage issue. He spoke a day after a large majority of voters in North Carolina approved a state constitutional ban on homosexual marriage. North Carolina became the thirtieth state to pass such an amendment. The ban also includes civil unions and domestic partnerships.
但奥巴马先生说，他仍然支持各州自行决定是否承认同性婚姻。在他发表讲话的前一天，北卡罗莱纳州大部分选民通过了该州对同性婚姻的宪法禁令。北卡罗莱纳州成为第30个通过这类修正案的美国州。该禁令也包括了民事结合（civil union）和同居伴侣关系（domestic partnerships）。
Currently, six of the fifty states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex couples to marry. Nine states allow civil unions or provide rights under domestic partnership laws.
目前，50个美国州中的6个州以及哥伦比亚特区允许同性伴侣结婚。9个州允许民事结合，或支持同居伴侣关系法案下的相关权利。
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