Gay Voters Defect as Clinton Falters

As first lady, Hillary Clinton marched in New York's pride parade and cemented her standing as a defender of gay rights. But her stalwart support in the gay community is waning, Bloomberg reports. Although both Democratic candidates oppose gay marriage and support civil unions, only Barack Obama wants to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act—which Bill Clinton signed into law in 1996.

Yesterday in Beaumont, Texas, Obama told a town-hall meeting that he's been dismayed to hear people in black churches "saying things that I don't think are very Christian with respect to people who are gay and lesbian." Both candidates are targeting Ohio's gay population, one of the largest in the country, ahead of Tuesday's critical primary. (More Barack Obama stories.)