Democrats to include gay marriage in party platform

Democrats are planning to make same-sex marriage a part of their party platform, according to The New York Times.

The Times said party officials met over the weekend in Minneapolis to begin the process of amending their platform. A vote is scheduled to be held in Detroit in two weeks by the platform committee, and if approved the issue would need final approval from convention delegates in September in Charlotte, North Carolina.

According to Democrats briefed on the vote, there was no objection when the issue came up, said The Times.

Politico reported, "The language was approved unanimously by a 15-member platform draft committee and now heads for approval by the full platform committee in August."

A source told Politico the decision was "not controversial."

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The news was first reported by The Washington Blade, with gay Rep. Barney Frank, a Democrat from Massachusetts, confirming the news to the publication on Monday.

According to The Washington Blade, the language backs marriage equality and rejects the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as only between a man and a woman.

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President Barack Obama clarified his position on gay marriage in May, when he became the first US president to say he believed that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, Reuters noted. The NAACP, the largest civil rights group in the US, also backed gay marriage, calling it an issue of civil rights.

The Associated Press noted that it was unclear whether the Democratic party's platform would call for national action to legalize gay marriage. Obama said same-sex marriage was an issue for states to decide on.

Six states and the District of Columbia have legalized gay marriage while 30 have banned it, Reuters said.