When President Obama’s guests arrive at the White House on Wednesday for a Gay Pride reception—just days after New York became the largest state in the country to make same-sex marriage legal—they will no doubt be in a mood to celebrate.

But for their host, who does not endorse same-sex marriage, it could be somewhat awkward.

“I think they are trying to share the joy, which is genuine on their part, without changing his position,” Hilary Rosen, a prominent Democratic strategist, said of the White House. “I don’t think he can have it both ways here.”

Unfortunately, as Obama hosts the reception, its his hypocrisy that might be put under a microscope.

“That was the argument they made about segregation,” Ms. Rosen, who has long been supportive of Mr. Obama, said Tuesday. “I don’t think people really believe that he believes that. It flies in the face of everything he has stood for.”