Thank Michelle, Sasha and Malia for Helping President Obama’s Gay Marriage Shift

President Obama's family influenced his gay marriage shift, aides say.

By Jorge Rivas May 10, 2012

President Barack Obama told ABC’s Robin Roberts that his decision to come out and support gay marriage was spurred because he has close friends who are in "same-sex relationships" but aides working close to the president say Michelle, Malia and Sasha also had influence. "This is something that, you know, we’ve talked about over the years and she, you know, she [Michelle] feels the same way, she feels the same way that I do,"[ Obama told ABC’s Robin Roberts Wednesday.](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/transcript-robin-roberts-abc-news-interview-president-obama/story?id=16316043#.T6vNS59Yt90) [Insiders tell the LA Times ](http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-gay-marriage-decision-influence-20120510,0,5554378.story)the first lady went out of her way to invite gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual couples to the events she sponsored for military families. "There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them and frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective," [Obama said.](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/transcript-robin-roberts-abc-news-interview-president-obama/story?id=16316043#.T6vNS59Yt90)