Newsweek's Stance on the First Homosexual President

Merely four days subsequent to President Barack Obama's affirmation of his support for same-sex marriage during an appearance on Good Morning America, the editorial board at Newsweek is prepared to confer upon him a novel designation: "The First Gay President."

At a minimum, that specific declaration is slated for inclusion on the front of the magazine's May twenty-first publication, which is presently accessible via iPad and is scheduled to become available on physical newsstands starting Monday.

EXAMINE: Disputed Periodical Fronts

The front page features an intimate, close-up depiction of the president, adorned with a spectrum-colored halo encircling his head; these particular hues serve as visual allusions to emblems adopted by the LGBT movement. This cover also advertises an impending piece penned by Newsweek writer Andrew Sullivan, which champions President Obama's track record regarding the gay community.

Newsweek has furnished Politico with the following advance look at the article:

One might readily dismiss President Obama's declaration of his endorsement for same-sex matrimony as a mere strategic maneuver within an election cycle. However, it would be unwise to credit such skeptical viewpoints. According to Andrew Sullivan, this particular pronouncement has, in reality, been developing over a span of several years. Indeed, upon a slight retrospective analysis and an evaluation of Obama's legislative history concerning LGBTQ+ rights, one discerns that this event was, in actuality, not an anomaly; rather, it represented the unavoidable crescendo following three years of dedicated effort. Furthermore, President Obama shares significant common ground with the homosexual community. As Sullivan articulates, "He was compelled to uncover his African American heritage and subsequently harmonize it with his Caucasian family, much like individuals who are gay identify their homosexual essence and then are required to reconcile it with their heterosexual relatives."

This action occurs only a few days following Newsweek's rival publication, Time Magazine, presenting its own contentious cover, which portrayed a youthful mother engaged in breastfeeding her three-year-old son. Subsequently, a spokesperson for Newsweek reportedly informed the New York Post that upon observing the aforementioned cover, their Editor-In-Chief, Tina Brown, declared, "The contest is officially underway!"

The front page of Newsweek might well be intended to evoke recollections of a prior resident of the White House, who bore a somewhat incongruous appellation. Admirers of the erstwhile President Bill Clinton bestowed upon him the epithet "the inaugural black president" due to his endeavors benefiting the African American populace. This specific phrase was initially coined by the acclaimed author Toni Morrison, appearing in an edition of The New Yorker from the year nineteen ninety-eight.