Hillary's stance on same-sex marriage has split gay supporters

It was when Clinton told Gross that, “For me, marriage has always been a matter left to the states… I fully endorse the efforts by activists to work state-by-state. In fact, that is what is working.”

In interviews with activists around the country, many said that those comments were disheartening to say the least, because they come at a time when a growing number of Americans think that marriage equality is a fundamental right, enshrined in the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.

“I like Hillary. I will support Hillary. But I think that made her sound weak and calculating,” said John Aravosis, a Democratic political consultant and writer. “Does she have a long record of supporting states’ rights or something? And it is not as if conservatives who are against gay marriage are going to support her because she thinks it is an issue better left to the states or something.”

One activist told The Daily Beast that he was asked to defend Clinton’s gay-rights record by some Clinton-world insiders after the Gross interview—he responded that he could not defend her comments on states’ rights.