By CNN Wire staff
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama, who previously said his views on the issue were "evolving," said Wednesday that he supports same-sex marriage.
"At a certain point 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," Obama said in an interview with ABC News.
The president once opposed same-sex marriage.
Obama was "disappointed" by Tuesday's vote on the issue in North Carolina, which he described as discriminatory against gays and lesbians, a spokesman said earlier Wednesday.
North Carolina voted to implement a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, which was already prohibited in the state. Supporters of the measure pushed for the constitutional amendment, arguing that it was needed to ward off future legal challenges.