Hillary Clinton backs marriage equality as U.S. constitutional right

Hillary Clinton has declared her full support for marriage equality across the US, just days into her second run for the presidency.

Following a low-key meeting with voters in Iowa, during which she called for an end to ‘big money’ election campaigns, Clinton’s spokeswoman Adrienne Elrod said in a statement, “Hillary Clinton supports marriage equality and hopes the Supreme Court will come down on the side of same-sex couples being guaranteed that constitutional right.”

Whilst Clinton has already been supporting same-sex marriage, she has done so in the belief that it should be dealt with on a state-by-state basis, rather than federally. This is the first time she has stated her wish for the measure to be brought to the whole country simultaneously – something which would require a constitutional amendment.

The issue is particularly relevant at the moment not just because Clinton is on the campaign trail, but because the Supreme Court is considering the constitutionality of state bans on same-sex marriage on 28th April, and their decision could lead to marriage being made equal nationwide.

Most of Clinton’s Republican opponents are against same-sex marriage, including Jeb Bush, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, who are all actively campaigning too. Although none of her fellow Democrats have yet emerged to challenge her for the party ticket, both touted names – Elizabeth Warren and Martin O’Malley – also support the measure.

In advance of Clinton’s run being announced at the weekend, we took a look back at her record on gay rights. We’ve also had an exclusive chat with the gay couple who featured in her campaign announcement video.