I recently wrote about the changes to the White House website. If the White House website depicts policy then there has been a major departure from what Obama originally promised. I would argue that it is impossible to support “full civil unions … equal to those of married couples” without the repeal of DOMA. DOMA applies to “a relationship between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage.” Putting aside the “separate but equal” issue, civil unions cannot be legally “equal” when full faith and credit is specifically precluded by DOMA. On inauguration day, the White House website included the following statement within the civil rights agenda:

Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions.

Now, that has been reduced to:

He supports full civil unions and federal rights for LGBT couples and opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.