In an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts this afternoon, President Obama announced that he has "always been adamant that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally." After speaking with many folks on his own staff in committed monogamous, same-sex relationships, the President explained, "I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married."

The announcement makes Obama the first sitting President to come out in support of marriage, and all the rights that come along with it, for same-sex couples.

Referencing Joe Biden's declaration of support for marriage equality on Meet the Press last weekend, the President laughed, explaining he and the Veep had been having that discussion, but Biden may have jumped the gun on that one. Although the President apparently didn't want to start a battle over same-sex marriage at the DNC coming up in September (in Charlotte, North Carolina ironically enough), Nancy Pelosi was reportedly pushing for Obama to clear up any doubts on his "evolving" stance.

According to ABC's White House Correspondent Jake Tapper, in the full interview, Obama explains that he's finally talking about it because Mitt Romney reportedly wants a federal ban on same-sex marriages. Obama also stressed that his support of the matter is his personally held belief and that he still supports individual states' rights to decide the issue for themselves.

Parts of Obama's interview with ABC will run tonight on World News with Diane Sawyer, with the full thing hitting, of all places, Good Morning America on Thursday. There's a teaser with the juicy quotes here.

In an interview in Colorado earlier today, Mitt Romney also reiterated his stance on gay marriage, explaining he (still) does not support same-sex marriage or "civil unions if they are identical to marriage other than by name."

Meanwhile, the party line over at Fox Nation is doing their usual shtick, claiming of the President's stance: "OBAMA FLIP FLOPS, DECLARES WAR ON MARRIAGE."

[ABC News]