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May 18, 2004
Gay Marriage: Not Such a Big Deal After All?
Gay marriage was big news today with front-page stories, accompanied by photos, of gays marrying in Massachusetts. It didn't look particularly frightening; quite the contrary, the people involved looked nice and rather ordinary, not threatening. As E.J. Graff pointed out on The New Republic website, that helps explain why, so far, the expected backlash against gay marriage has failed to gain momentum: once you see the actual people involved, it's harder to get bent out of shape about it.
Recent public opinion data support the idea that publicity around gay marriage is not provoking a firestorm of opposition, but rather a halting movement toward acceptance. For example, in a May 2-4 Gallup poll, support for recognizing gay marriages is actually higher than it's ever been measured before (42 percent against 55 percent opposition). The new Newsweek poll also finds, for the first time, a majority (51 percent) of the public saying they support some kind of legal recognition of gay or lesbian couples (either full marriage rights or civil unions), as against 43 percent who oppose such recognition. And among 18-29 year olds, support for legal recognition is overwhelming (64-34).
Now, none of this is to say that we don't have a long way to go before this issue is completely resolved. And we will see public opinion move back and forth in reaction to particular events. But the net result of that ebb and flow will continue to be toward acceptance and tolerance, as the harmless reality of married gays and gays in civil unions quietly keeps on doing its good work. And, in the end, the iron fist of demographic change (see 18-29 year old data above) will finish the job.
Posted by Ruy Teixeira at 11:41 PM | link
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