Some entertainment and sports celebrities, along with some business leaders, have signed a letter asking President Obama to support gay marriage, according to The New York-based group Freedom to Marry.

Among those who signed the petition were actors Anne Hathaway, Martin Sheen and Jane Lynch as well as NFL linebacker Scott Fujita and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey.

The president, who supports civil unions as a same-sex marriage alternative, has said that his views on the subject are "evolving."

His administration recently announced that it would no longer defend the federal law barring government recognition of same-sex unions.

The group said several couples will deliver the letter to the White House in the spring.