Former President Bill Clinton was jokingly called the “first black president” by author Toni Morrison. Maybe it was because he was “cool” in a way that former presidents never were or maybe it was because he advocated policies that were meant to help disenfranchised African-American voters.

Newsweek magazine, in the spirit of Ms. Morrison, has heralded President Barack Obama has the country's “first gay president” on this week's cover after the president announced last week his "evolution" on same-sex marriage rights.

In case you were hiding under a rock, Obama now supports marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. The president made the announcement last week in an interview with ABC News.

The accompanying Newsweek article, written by gay political reporter Andrew Sullivan, reflects on Obama's recent “evolution” with regard to marriage equality.

Sullivan writes:

But I didn’t expect it. Like many others, I braced myself for disappointment. And yet when I watched the interview, the tears came flooding down. The moment reminded me of my own wedding day. I had figured it out in my head, but not my heart. And I was utterly unprepared for how psychologically transformative the moment would be.

I have always sensed that he intuitively understands gays and our predicament—because it so mirrors his own. And he knows how the love and sacrifice of marriage can heal, integrate, and rebuild a soul. The point of the gay-rights movement, after all, is not about helping people be gay. It is about creating the space for people to be themselves. This has been Obama’s life’s work.

To call Obama the country's “first gay president” takes away from the fact that Obama, as a straight African-American man, endorses marriage equality.

There are far too few straight men that are supportive of marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples. It says something when a straight man with nothing to personally gain (and possibly everything to lose in November) supports this cause. Why would we want to label the president as anything but?

What do you think? Does calling President Obama the country's “first gay president” detract from the importance of his “evolution” on gay marriage rights?