Obama Reportedly Sends Letter To Gay Couple Congratulating Them On Their Marriage (PHOTO)

A recently married gay couple from New York reportedly got a pretty big surprise over the weekend, when they received a letter from President Barack Obama congratulating them on their "union."

BuzzFeed spoke with Matt Katz, who seemed somewhat perplexed at the reason for the belated message of support.

"I'm not sure why the letter got sent to us. Aaron and I were married on July 24th at Borough Hall," Katz told BuzzFeed. "However, we had our wedding ceremony on July 23rd at my dad's house the day before. Maybe word got out that we were outlaws for a day?"

Katz and his husband, Aaron Lafrenz, were one of the first couples to get married on the day same-sex marriage was legalized in New York. Some pictures of their ceremony have been posted on their Flickr page.

Obama has repeatedly said that he believes the issue of gay marriage is best left to the states. While he has spoken out against the Defense of Marriage Act and campaigned against the military's anti-gay "don't ask, don't tell" policy, he has yet to personally voice support for gay marriage. He's instead said that his views on the matter continue to "evolve," and that he's "working on" his feelings about it.

Photo of the letter below, via Matt Katz's Facebook page:

Comments

[Tommy Crowe]

04:48 PM on 12/21/2011

Wow.... just for one stinkin' day...can we just appreciate the gesture without dragging it through the cow manure?

[Calvin Washington]

08:15 PM on 12/21/2011

I agree !

[Shivana Jorawar]

04:38 PM on 12/21/2011

I think this is most likely from a friend of the couple. People who work for the exec branch can send the President request for letter like this to their friends on special occasions. It's possible Barack didn't even know the couple was same-sex.

[rockysparks]

08:52 AM on 12/21/2011

All the cynical and hateful remarks. Yes, Obama may not have seen this letter, which was probably typed up by an aide and signed by a robo-signature. And the White House only became aware of this because someone called attention to it. But I'm sure the president authorized it. And why not? It's a nice PR gesture, only offending people who are looking for reasons to be offended.

Acknowledging people who love each other can only be a good thing in this distressed and angry world. Who really cares what sexual orientation they are except Sister Bertha Better-Than-You and her good friend, Nosy Parker?

[Boston 019]

11:41 AM on 12/23/2011

Robo-signature? I believe the term is "auto pen". Used to sign expiring bills located on the other side of the globe that were accidentally left at home. Lol.

[Adrienne Williams]

01:36 AM on 12/21/2011

President Obama has been supporting the LGBT from the start. If you don't see it, you need glasses!

[BrianCBock]

06:08 AM on 12/21/2011

He did not support LGBT marriages, however. So this IS new.

[Boston 019]

11:41 AM on 12/23/2011

I don't see how he's supported them at all.

[kirstenpalladino]

11:16 PM on 12/20/2011

My wife and I received the same letter in 2010, almost a full year after our wedding. Anyone can get one! It doesn't mean Obama is supporting full marriage equality.
http://equallywed.com/in-bloom/175-a-presidential-wedding-congrats.html

[choclo1898]

09:55 PM on 12/20/2011

And they are the model role of society,wow. where we go . . .

[brahdog]

04:43 AM on 12/21/2011

you better fear

[JLeamer]

08:59 PM on 12/20/2011

Sorry, but this rings with about as much sincerity as the PR photo ops from the recent Jewish Hanukkah celebration at the WH!

[DeeFromTheD]

10:05 PM on 12/20/2011

Wrong on this and wrong on the Hanukkah celebrations. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama has hosted for the 3 years now celebrating Hanukkah.
Take it straight-up with no chaser.

2009: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/16/spirit-alone

2010: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/12/03/president-obama-hosts-a-hanukkah-celebration-white-house

2011: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/12/09/white-house-hanukkah-celebration

[Ashley Sanders]

07:57 PM on 12/20/2011

Regardless if he's kissing up or not, I like it.

[Boston 019]

11:43 AM on 12/23/2011

Is taxpayer money going into this vote-grabbing nonsense, or is it out of his personal savings?

[special38x2]

07:41 PM on 12/20/2011

LOL, although I am thrilled for the newlyweds, I'm sorry, this is just stupid to pay someone to send out a Presidential congratulations note on getting married - male to male, female to female, male to female or otherwise. If it's been validated, its another poll shifting publicity stunt. People are so being duped!

[Minty6]

07:06 PM on 12/27/2011

If he never did anything for them, you'd be talking about how he hates gays so much. I'm sick of these Avarois fans talking BS about things like that.

[huffuser1234]

07:20 PM on 12/20/2011

The White House will send a note to anyone who "invites" them to their wedding by sending an invitation to the White House or simply by ASKING for one. Perhaps someone sent a note to the White House on their behalf. I have one that looks exactly like this from my wedding in October.

[Boston 019]

11:45 AM on 12/23/2011

I'm so doing this if I ever get married again. Does the Queen also send out these things?

[mazzo]

06:45 PM on 12/20/2011

Good for Obama and congratulations to the newlyweds!

[DANIELISTICALL]

06:42 PM on 12/20/2011

President Obama instructed the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court, dealing a serious blow to this unconstitutional and discriminatory law. The president's action comes in response to a series of lawsuits challenging DOMA, including a critical case filed by the ACLU in November 2010.
DOMA prohibits the federal government from recognizing any marriage that is not between a man and a woman.
With today's actions, we are getting one big step closer to the end of an era of discrimination against LGBT Americans. Just months ago, we helped bring an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

[TommyObama]

07:18 PM on 12/20/2011

And yet Obama (and the House and Senate in 2009 and 2010) could have passed ENDA, and provided employment and housing protection for all of America's LGBT people with VERY little opposition and did not -- they sat on it. Obama will get my vote, of course, but he won't get a dime from me until ENDA is passed. Brave and progressive politicians like Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan will get money from me.

[shipfixr]

06:41 PM on 12/20/2011

Now WHY would Obama write such a letter, five months late, to that particular couple? It really makes no sense but then....what does anymore??

[DavyCrockettDemocrat]

06:31 PM on 12/20/2011

I think this is fake. I love the gesture, I just don't see the President taking time to write a random gay couple a congratulatory letter. Then again, I didn't think George W. Bush had the time to spend nearly 1/4 of his presidency on his ranch in TX ...

[meepstein]

06:20 PM on 12/20/2011

Any heterosexual marriage that fails because of same sex marriages is a marriage that was in trouble to begin with. They are just looking for something to blame it on.