Resistance to Gay Marriage Shrinking, and Confined to Old White People

[Frodo]

Study: Opposition to same-sex marriage narrow, shrinking

By Karen Tumulty and Tom Hamburger
The Washington Post

Exit polls and other surveys from the November election suggest that resistance to same-sex marriage is shrinking and mainly concentrated among certain segments of the population: older people, white evangelical Christians and non-college-educated whites.

That is the analysis of a new study of the data by two pollsters, one a Democrat and the other a Republican.

“Significant opposition to the freedom to marry is increasingly isolated within narrow demographic groups while a much broader and more diverse majority are ready to let same-sex couples marry,” wrote Joel Benenson, who led President Obama’s polling operation in 2008 and 2012, and Jan van Lohuizen, who did the same job for former President George W. Bush.

Their research, being released Thursday, was commissioned by Freedom to Marry, an organization that promotes establishing a national right to same-sex marriage. It is a follow-up to a May 2011 report in which the pollsters found support for such unions had accelerated, starting around 2009.

[DC Al Fine]

It looks like us anti-SSM types will be the equivalent of your racist grandfather in about 20 years.

[Sopranos Republican]

It's great how quickly this issue has progressed. I was reading on CNN.com the other day, that even in 2001 only 35% of Americans supported Same Sex marriage, and 57% opposed. Now it's 48% support, 45% oppose. Hopefully we can get that up to the 50% range.

[afleitch]

It looks like us anti-SSM types will be the equivalent of your racist grandfather in about 20 years.

I'm glad you admit it You'll either be classified along the 'I just don't like them n-ggers/queers' category or the 'BUT THE BIBLE SAYS about the n-ggers/queers...cos o' JESUS!!!' category of loon.

[Marnetmar]

It looks like us anti-SSM types will be the equivalent of your racist grandfather in about 20 years.

How about right now?

[Lief 🗽]

It's interesting that views of gay marriage seem to be progressing much, much faster than views on interracial marriage, which was still opposed by about half the country into the early 1990s. I wonder why that is.

[DC Al Fine]

It looks like us anti-SSM types will be the equivalent of your racist grandfather in about 20 years.

How about right now?

In Canada, absolutely. I keep quiet about my anti-SSM views around my peers and I am the type to talk politics a lot. It's still a mainstream position in the states though.

It looks like us anti-SSM types will be the equivalent of your racist grandfather in about 20 years.

I'm glad you admit it You'll either be classified along the 'I just don't like them n-ggers/queers' category or the 'BUT THE BIBLE SAYS about the n-ggers/queers...cos o' JESUS!!!' category of loon.

More or less. I'm not confident that the general public is going to listen to differing view on the purpose of marriage in general and why it is incompatible with SSM, but then, I want to severely restrict divorce again, so I'm used to being outside the mainstream on this sort of thing.

[pbrower2a]

February 21-24, 2013
Survey of 1,229 Kansas voters (PPP)

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_KS_0227.pdf

Note the state -- very conservative Kansas. As laws are in most states, legalization of civil unions is a progressive trend. Support for lawful marriage of gays is as strong as complete rejection of same-sex relations.

[Alcon]

Unfortunately, quite a lot of voters who claim to support civil unions seem unwilling to actually vote for them.

[memphis]

Unfortunately, quite a lot of voters who claim to support civil unions seem unwilling to actually vote for them.

This is true. Plus, given three options a lot of people will always choose the Moderate Hero option. Given only the pro-gay and anti-gay options, they'll go anti-gay every time. It's what Jesus would do.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

This is one of very few issues where America has gotten more liberal since 1980. The Media has done a lot to impede progress on most other issues, but they haven't succeeded at this one.

[Benj]

Unfortunately, quite a lot of voters who claim to support civil unions seem unwilling to actually vote for them.

Because then it will be taught in schools, and who will think of the children?

[Sol]

Unfortunately, quite a lot of voters who claim to support civil unions seem unwilling to actually vote for them.

A lot of people who support Civil Unions are vehemently opposed to gay marriage, and only support civil unions weakly.

It should also be noted that a lot of people don't know what civil unions are, so they often vote against them.

[Obamanation]

It's interesting that views of gay marriage seem to be progressing much, much faster than views on interracial marriage, which was still opposed by about half the country into the early 1990s. I wonder why that is.

Simple, racism.

[Lief 🗽]

Right, but why did mainstream racism disappear so much slower than mainstream homophobia is? I guess you could say racism is more ingrained in American culture (plus I think racism/xenophobia is at least at some level a natural human response), but Christian morality is also very deeply ingrained.

edit: ingrain, not engrain

[Sol]

Right, but why did mainstream racism disappear so much slower than mainstream homophobia is? I guess you could say racism is more engrained in American culture (plus I think racism/xenophobia is at least at some level a natural human response), but Christian morality is also very deeply engrained.

Yes, but Christianity is far from universally anti-gay.

[Sol]

LGBT people are also not necessarily visible, which allows for personal connections to be formed and for minds to be changed.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Racism is far more engrained in humans than anti-gay.  Not. Even. Close.

[Link]

It looks like us anti-SSM types will be the equivalent of your racist grandfather in about 20 years.

I'm glad you admit it You'll either be classified along the 'I just don't like them n-ggers/queers' category or the 'BUT THE BIBLE SAYS about the n-ggers/queers...cos o' JESUS!!!' category of loon.

WTF?!  That's a bit harsh isn't it?  We really need to stop comparing someone suggesting civil unions to hundreds of years of slaver, rape, murder, etc.  I mean c'mon.

I personally have a very traditional view of marriage.  But I realize heterosexuals have all but destroyed traditional marriage and I have other things to do with my time other than tell people who they can and cannot marry.

It's interesting that views of gay marriage seem to be progressing much, much faster than views on interracial marriage, which was still opposed by about half the country into the early 1990s. I wonder why that is.

Yes it is kind of surprising.  While every culture on the planet that I know of either never had gay marriage or in fact had specific prohibitions against it prohibitions on interracial marriage were a rather new development.  The racists really did a good.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

It's interesting that views of gay marriage seem to be progressing much, much faster than views on interracial marriage, which was still opposed by about half the country into the early 1990s. I wonder why that is.

The scars of racism run much deeper than homophobia in American history (in fact, homosexuality was fairly accepted until the Victorian era).

[King]

As long as men die liberty shall never perish...

[memphis]

Racism is far more engrained in humans than anti-gay.  Not. Even. Close.

I'm not so sure about that. What's your initial reaction to this guy?

Also worth pointing out in the gay marriage v. anti-mixed race marriage laws. The latter only told the public they couldn't marry those people. But plenty of fish in the sea. Maybe you'll find somebody. The former means gays can't get married at all. Neither is just, but it's a key distinction that never gets made.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

It's interesting that views of gay marriage seem to be progressing much, much faster than views on interracial marriage, which was still opposed by about half the country into the early 1990s. I wonder why that is.

The scars of racism run much deeper than homophobia in American history (in fact, homosexuality was fairly accepted until the Victorian era).

This is for the most part true. Even the Catholic Church has only really doubled down, in the sense of giving any emphasis to the subject beyond political contingencies like the perceived necessity to smear Abdurrahman III, within the past century or so. Then again, the subject's only been visibly constructed in its present identitarian form within the last century or so in the first place, so that's hardly to the outright credit of the Church in previous ages.

[Link]

Racism is far more engrained in humans than anti-gay.  Not. Even. Close.

I'm not so sure about that. What's your initial reaction to this guy?

Veering off topic here but just because a man looks feminine doesn't mean he is gay.  And just because a guy is gay doesn't mean he feminine.  I would much rather hang out with a masculine gay guy than a really feminine heterosexual guy.

Plus different cultures value different things.  Some cultures breed men that would be considered feminine by other cultures.  That has nothing to do with homosexuality.

Also worth pointing out in the gay marriage v. anti-mixed race marriage laws. The latter only told the public they couldn't marry those people. But plenty of fish in the sea. Maybe you'll find somebody. The former means gays can't get married at all. Neither is just, but it's a key distinction that never gets made.

Well for many of us that really isn't a distinction.  If you are gay you are incapable of having children.  There are a growing number of us who have no utility for marriage beyond procreation.  I understand heterosexuals getting married and not having children as much as I understand gay marriage... which is to say I have zero understanding of it.  Doesn't mean I would fight against either though.

[memphis]

1. That's Chris Crocker, of "Leave Britney Alone!!!" fame. It's public knowledge that he's gay.
2. Your understanding is not a prerequisite for equal rights. Am I interpreting you correctly that you would deny civil marriage to those who choose or are unable to breed? That's a curious position with all sorts of authoritarian consequences.