As crowds gathered outside of the rainbow-lit White House of Friday after the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide, President Barack Obama remained inside.
The White House representatives responded saying that President Obama was required to stay indoors due to safety protocols.
“The only bad part about it was I couldn’t go out and peek at it myself,” Obama told reporters. “Because then I would have had to clear out all the people, or the Secret Service would have.”
He added: “So I could only reflect on it from a television screen. That’s a moment worth savoring.”
Flocks of people gathered outside of the White House on Friday evening after the Federal ruling on say marriage. Although most were there to celebrate history being made together, some were in hopes that President Obama himself would appear to join them. But they were a bit let down when their hopes were not met, according to USA Today.
President Obama was finally able to comment on the rainbow-lit White House at a press conference on Tuesday.
“I did not have a chance to comment on how good the White House looked in rainbow colors,” Obama said. “To see people gathered in an evening outside on a beautiful summer night and to feel whole and to feel accepted and to feel that they had a right to love, that was pretty cool. That was a good thing.”
But not everybody was as pleased with the rainbow-lit White House as President Obama and the onlookers outside on Friday evening. Those in opposition argued that the White House should not have been used for political purposes.
The White House felt that they had already stated their position on the lighting on Friday, also making clear that no taxpayer dollars were used for the lighting ceremony.
“Tonight, the White House was lit to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to progress and equality, here in America and around the world. The pride colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, and tonight, these colors celebrate a new chapter in the history of American civil rights.”
