All of the citizens of this nation have never been truly equal (in terms of either rights or opportunities) since the nation was founded. But we have a constitution that decrees all citizens should have equal rights under the law, and with each passing generation, we move closer to that constitutional dream. One of the latest fights for equality has been the fight to give the LGBT community the same rights that most other citizens have, and one of the most public faces of this fight for equality is the right of same-sex couples to marry.The chart above is from the folks who do the Gallup Poll. It shows the progress that has been made in a very short period of time. As recently as 1996, 68% of the population was against same-sex marriage, while only 27% thought it should be legal. That has changed radically in just the last 16 years. The latest Gallup Poll shows that a majority of Americans now support same-sex marriage, by a 53% to 46% margin.
And this rapidly changing attitude was clearly demonstrated in the last election -- where four states (Maine, Maryland, Washington, Oregon) approved same-sex marriage, and another state (Minnesota) defeated a constitutional amendment that would have prevented it. In addition, Wisconsin elected the first openly homosexual person to the United States Senate (Tammy Baldwin).
Also interesting is the reasons people gave for either supporting or opposing same sex marriage. The two top reasons for supporting it were a belief in equal rights and a belief that love/happiness trumps sexual orientation. Each of those reasons garnered 32%. Personally, I believe the constitutional guarantee of equal rights is more important than anything else, although I understand all of the reasons given for supporting same-sex marriage.
And it comes as no surprise that the reason given most often for opposing same-sex marriage is religion. It far surpasses all of the other reasons given. It seems to makes people feel better when they can wrap their bigoted ideas in their favorite religion. But bigotry is still bigotry, even if it comes with a holy book and a prayer.
Here are the reasons people gave for supporting or opposing same-sex marriage in the Gallup Poll:
