Majority support for the freedom to marry appears to stick

September 21, 2010

Posted by Paul Thornton on latimes.com:

"I expressed some hope last month that a CNN poll showing that a slim majority of Americans support the right of gays and lesbians to marry finally signaled the inevitable shift in public opinion for which same-sex couples had been holding out. I noted, however, that such a rapid swing could be based on a statistical fluke as much as actual public opinion.

"But a new Associated Press poll has produced nearly identical results: Fifty-two percent of respondents said the federal government should recognize marriage equality for same-sex couple (again, I invite the more statistically inclined readers to comment on how poll wording can produce skewed results). The political implications for President Obama are obvious, a topic explored on the Sunday Op-Ed page by Harvard law professor Michael Klarman. Indeed, it seems as if political implications are what motivate the White House to toe the awkward line of supporting equality for everyone -- gays and lesbians included -- while saying some of us don't deserve the right to marry.

"... But the president's political future matters less than ending the indignity suffered by gay and lesbian couples. Plus, a growing majority of Americans are no longer on his side."

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