Public Shifts Fast on Same-Sex Union Support
From the WSJ, earlier this week
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In the five years since Prop 8 passed, attitudes across America on gay marriage have moved fast. A poll this year by the nonpartisan Pew Forum on Religion and Public life found that 50% of Americans support gay marriage, up from 39% in 2008. "For a social issue in recent decades, that is quite unique," says David Masci, a senior researcher at the Pew Forum. Even among religious and demographic groups largely opposed to gay marriage, more people support the idea today than five years ago. Among white evangelical Protestants, for example, support for gay marriage has grown from 16% to 23% since 2008, Pew found.
When Prop 8 passed in 2008 with 52% of the vote, only two other states permitted gay marriage. Today, 12 states plus the District of Columbia do so. U.S. voters had always chosen at the ballot to ban gay marriage until last fall, when they approved measures in Maine, Maryland and Washington.
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One turning point came in May 2012, when President Barack Obama said he felt gay people should be able to get married. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People swiftly followed with its own resolution supporting gay marriage. A month later, the National Council of La Raza, the Latino civil-rights group, did the same. Both groups had stayed on the sidelines during the original Prop 8 fight... Some churches that remained silent in 2008 have also taken a dramatic turn. As early as 2009, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said pastors could bless same-sex unions, leaving room for some pastors to conduct gay marriages for the first time. In July 2012, the Episcopal Church approved a service for blessing same-sex relationships.
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Amidst the national conversation, gay-rights advocates say more gay and lesbian Americans are coming out of the closet, making the issue more personal to straight voters. In Bakersfield Mormon community, Wendy and Tom Montgomery hadn't given a second thought to supporting Prop. 8. In 2008, they volunteered to canvass for votes door to door and on the phone. Ms. Montgomery, 37, did an about face last year after her son Jordan told her he was gay. "All of a sudden, I had this 13-year-old boy who is gay, and none of those stereotypes or preconceived judgments fit," Ms. Montgomery said. The family has since become vocal advocates for gay rights and starred in a short film called "Families Are Forever" to help those struggling with coming out.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323300004578559881835515320.html
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