Hospital visitation, Obama and marriage equality

April 19, 2010

As written by Jonathan Capehart in The Washington Post:

"The New York Times/CBS News poll that has gotten a ton of attention because it put a face on the Tea Party movement had interesting data on Americans' view of the freedom to marry. The nation isn't nearly as ready as I'd like it to be, but it's getting there.

"The Times asked this question: 'Which comes closest to your view? Gay couples should be allowed to legally marry OR gay couples should be allowed to form civil unions but not legally marry OR there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship?' When the query was first posed in a March 2004 poll, marriage was supported by 22 percent of those polled. Civil unions received more backing at 33 percent. Of course, 'no legal recognition' got the most support at 40 percent.

"What a difference six years make. Support for marriage jumped 17 points to 39 percent. For civil unions it dropped 9 points to 24 percent. And those favoring 'no legal recognition' fell 10 points to 30 percent. That's right. More people polled in 2010 favor marriage equality than no legal recognition. But let's be clear-eyed here. Americans aren't there yet and won't be until the inexorable demographic shift the nation is undergoing pushes support over 50 percent."

Click to read the full post: [Link]