Gay marriage spawns big spike in online videos

FILE - In this May 8, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in Washington. President Barack Obama faced mounting pressure Wednesday to express support for same-sex marriage after a setback for gay-rights advocates in North Carolina. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - In this May 8, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in Washington. President Barack Obama faced mounting pressure Wednesday to express support for same-sex marriage after a setback for gay-rights advocates in North Carolina. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? President Barack Obama's announcement that he favors same sex marriage led to a huge spike on the video-sharing website YouTube. The announcement resulted in a record number of searches and a rush of users uploading videos on the subject. Gay marriage was also the most popular topic on YouTube's news and politics category this week.

Gay rights issues have a history of sparking online viral videos. University of Iowa student Zach Wahls' plea for marriage rights for his lesbian parents was YouTube's most-watched political video of 2011.

Following Obama's announcement, more videos with the key words "gay marriage" were uploaded on YouTube than ever before, drawing more than 3 million views and 100,000 comments.

Associated Press

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