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Jay-Z on same-sex marriage: Discriminating against gays 'no different than discriminating against blacks'

Since President Obama came out in support of gay marriage last week, there's been speculation that the move could cost him support with his most loyal backers,

Since President Obama came out in support of gay marriage last week, there's been speculation that the move could cost him support with his most loyal backers, African-Americans, who, polls suggest, are less keen on same-sex nuptials than whites. But one high-profile African-American Obama fan says he's fully on board with Obama's stance.

In an interview with CNN, Jay-Z pointedly likened anti-gay bias to racism. "What people do in their own homes is their business and you can choose to love whoever you love," the rapper declared. "[It] is no different than discriminating against blacks. It's discrimination plain and simple."

As Gawker notes, Jay-Z hasn't always been such a model of open-mindedness. His past lyrics include some pretty offensive anti-gay slurs. But hey, if President Obama can evolve, why can't Jay-Z?

The more significant political question is whether this suggests that in the wake of Obama's announcement, African-American support for gay marriage may be on the rise. Some recent polling offers evidence that it may be.

Still, as Jay-Z pointed out, handicapping the politics of Obama's decision misses the point. "I think [announcing support of gay marriage is] the right thing to do, so whether it costs [Obama] votes or not — again, it's not about votes," Jay-Z said. "It's about people. It's the right thing to do as a human being."