Activists pressuring Obama to broaden federal recognition of gay rights if Court strikes down DOMA

The question for Obama turns on whether the federal government should extend full benefits to gay couples living in states that don’t recognize their marriages.

Obama would face rare, concrete decisions on the politically combustible question of same-sex marriage — an area he has largely left to the purview of courts and state legislatures.

Advocates have pressed the issue of benefits with White House aides in recent months, according to people familiar with the discussions. The advocates have pushed for a uniform standard that would make the most benefits available to legally married couples across the board. Officials have not signaled what Obama would do.

“Equal protection means that every family should have access to the same protections they need regardless of state borders,” said Fred Sainz, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay rights advocacy group. “We’ll fight to make sure that all legally married gay couples can access the greatest number of federal benefits and protections.”