Out magazine just named President Obama the LGBT community's 'Ally of the Year'

Out magazine's latest cover star isn't a chart-topping pop singer or an actress who triumphantly announced that she was gay during an emotional Valentine's Day speech. It's the president of the United States:

The cover marks the first time a sitting president has been photographed for an LGBT publication. While Out says Obama started out his presidency as "coy, even awkward, on the subject" of LGBT rights, the president's "evolution" led the magazine to crown him their LGBT Ally of the Year.

"Many share credit for what has transpired, but there's no question that without the active engagement of the 44th president of the United States, who has made securing the rights of LGBT Americans a fundamental part of his legacy, we'd still be working to fulfill that dream," Out's Aaron Hicklin writes. "On this issue, among many others, he is truly a great American."

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Read Out's full interview with Obama on marriage equality here.