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North Carolina voted to ban gay marriage on Tuesday, which Obama called “disappointing.”

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Obama’s statement comes as recent polls show that about half of Americans support gay marriage.

The president correctly pointed out that the issue is largely generational. Young Americans largely support gay marriage, compared to older generations.

“You know when I go to college campuses, sometimes I talk to college Republicans who think that I have terrible policies on the economy, on foreign policy, but are very clear that when it comes to same sex equality or, you know, believe in equality. They are much more comfortable with it,” he said.

“You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them and frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.”

There was growing pressure on Obama to make a statement on the issue this week, particularly after Biden said he was “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage in an interview.

The statement comes about six months before the 2012 presidential election and is sure to come up on the campaign trail.

Republicans overwhelmingly are against same-sex marriage, which could help Mitt Romney, who is against gay marriage but has been received lukewarmly by the right-wing base of his party.

For Obama, his support could help rally the youth and liberal vote, which propelled him to victory in 2008 but have been waning in support ever since. However, gay marriage support is not very popular with African-Americans, another key Obama demographic.