CNN PRODUCER NOTE     dilbert3b shares in his video that, 'even as a gay man, I was lukewarm about the idea of gay marriage, up until about five years ago. After all, it's just a word, isn't it? At least, that's what I thought.'

He changed his opinion on gay marriage after taking a financial planning class targeted toward the LGBT community. He learned the important financial and legal aspects of marriage--more specifically the numerous rights granted to heterosexual couples when they get married. 'The idea that I would have to hire a lawyer and spend thousands of dollars to recreate something that is automatically bestowed upon my neighbors appalled me. It just didn't make any sense.'

He says he feels 'empowered and encouraged' by President Obama's announcement. 'My parents got to move from the back of the bus during their lifetime and I hope that President Obama's stance will set the stage for me to take my place at the front of the bus as an American with all of the right afforded my fellow citizens during my lifetime.'
- jne2013, CNN iReport producer