Barack Obama was the first African American to become president, but that is not the only big change he has made.

In November, OUT100 published their magazine with President Obama featured on the front cover making him the first president in history to ever pose for a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) magazine. The cover reads “Ally. Hero. Icon”naming Obama their ally of the year.

It took one out of 44 presidents to finally side with the right side, where everyone deserves to be and love who they want to.

In a recent Pew Research Poll, support for same sex marriage has grown from 37 percent in 2009 to 57 percent in May of 2015. The poll also shows which categories of people are more in favor of same sex marriage: Millennials at 73 percent, Democrats at 65 percent and people without any religious affiliations at 85 percent.

Having two children himself Obama is known for encouraging his daughters to treat everyone equally.

“To Malia and Sasha and their friends, discrimination in any form against anyone doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t dawn on them that friends who are gay or friends’ parents who are same-sex couples should be treated differently than anyone else. That’s powerful,” said Obama to OUT100 magazine in an interview.

Going into his administration Obama knew LGBT equality was important.

“My mom instilled in me the strong belief that every person is of equal worth. At the same time, growing up as a black guy with a funny name, I was often reminded of exactly what it felt like to be on the outside. One of the reasons I got involved in politics was to help deliver on our promise that we’re created equal, and that no one should be excluded from the American dream just because of who they are,” Obama said.

For this I send Obama a standing ovation because I couldn’t agree more. I am a heterosexual female, but I believe everyone, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation, should have the same right to marry and be who they want to.

The Netherlands were the first nation to legalize gay marriage in 2000 according to Pew Research Center and it took the United States 15 years to catch up. 

Additionally the Pew Research Center has a moving map of the United States, showing over time, what states slowly started to evolve from standing against the law to legalizing same sex marriage from 1995 to 2015. 

Hopefully, some day, people will not gawk at a same sex couple holding hands. In the future, maybe people will simply pass by them because love is love.

“While we have come a long way since the Stonewall Riots of New York in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us but at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect,” said Obama through The Office of the President.

Obama posing on the cover of a LGBT magazine is more than a picture, it is a statement that we are taking huge steps forward toward equality for all Americans.