How is same-sex marriage able to pass?

[Mr. Illini]

Something that was on my mind. I am certainly in support of it, but demographically it doesn't seem to add up.

The votes on this are usually a partisan breakdown. Even in states with liberal GOPs you don't get overwhelming GOP votes, and even if you do, those states are liberal enough to be able to do it with just the Democrats.

Furthermore, minorities tend to be in opposition to same-sex marriage. Evem minority Democrats are overwhelmingly opposed to it. That is a huge portion of Democratic politicians.

Basically, my point is that the group of voting politicians that the base of the support comes from is primarily white liberals. How many states outside of New England have enough white liberals to pass bills with just that?

It sounds really dumb because the issue has progressed so much and I probably am overthinking and overgeneralizing, but I still think it is a legitimate question.

[Aliens]

Well, I think that there's a significant percentage of people (as well as politicians) who really don't care either way.  And many of them don't perceive gay marriage as affecting them personally - it's not a "threat" to them, so they'd rather let people do what they want instead of having the government ban it.  They realize that the trend is in favor of supporting gay marriage, so having the government maintain its ban would be more extreme of a position than just allowing gay marriage.

[Mr. Morden]

Just go to any poll on SSM, and look at the crosstabs.  E.g….

[Mr. Morden]

Oh wait, you're talking about the support among politicians rather than voters.  OK, well just go look up the roll call votes of states that have passed it, and look at the partisan and demographic breakdown of the yes and no votes.

[Sol]

Furthermore, minorities tend to be in opposition to same-sex marriage. Evem minority Democrats are overwhelmingly opposed to it. That is a huge portion of Democratic politicians.

Not really a thing. Latinos support SSM at around 60%, and African-Americans are about even with whites.

[bedstuy]

Furthermore, minorities tend to be in opposition to same-sex marriage. Evem minority Democrats are overwhelmingly opposed to it. That is a huge portion of Democratic politicians.

Not really a thing. Latinos support SSM at around 60%, and African-Americans are about even with whites.

I don't think that's true.  When you take into account the political ideology, geography and partisan allegiance of black people, there's definitely a racial gap there.  And, it makes sense.  The black community has a unique hostility to homosexuality, especially male homosexuality. 

[Brittain33]

Furthermore, minorities tend to be in opposition to same-sex marriage. Evem minority Democrats are overwhelmingly opposed to it. That is a huge portion of Democratic politicians.

Not really a thing. Latinos support SSM at around 60%, and African-Americans are about even with whites.

I don't think that's true.  When you take into account the political ideology, geography and partisan allegiance of black people, there's definitely a racial gap there.  And, it makes sense.  The black community has a unique hostility to homosexuality, especially male homosexuality.  

African-American hostility to SSM, as measured by votes, used to be on a par with the electorate as a whole. Black voters were more likely to support SSM than white Republican voters, but less than Democratic voters in general and white Democrats in particular. It was the comparison with Democrats as a whole that led to tensions with gays.

However, that's no longer the case, as shown by results in Maryland's referendum. When Barack Obama endorsed SSM in 2012, a chunk of African-American voters who previously opposed it, shifted with him. Support was still tepid (see PG County) but had moved enough to make the difference between success and defeat.

Looking back 10+ years in Massachusetts, we would have been nowhere without the vocal advocacy in the legislature by Rep. Benjamin Swan and Sen. Dianne Wilkerson in early days, and then when Deval Patrick came into office toward the end of the effort to get an amendment, he personally led the push to kill off that initiative in the legislature (unless I'm miss remembering when it ended.... I think the last vote, where DOMA failed to get 25%, was in early 2007.)

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

The "minorities are opposed to gay marriage" myth is getting tiresome.





(Black protestants, for obvious reasons, are less supportive of same-sex marriage than the Black community as a whole)

[bedstuy]

Furthermore, minorities tend to be in opposition to same-sex marriage. Evem minority Democrats are overwhelmingly opposed to it. That is a huge portion of Democratic politicians.

Not really a thing. Latinos support SSM at around 60%, and African-Americans are about even with whites.

I don't think that's true.  When you take into account the political ideology, geography and partisan allegiance of black people, there's definitely a racial gap there.  And, it makes sense.  The black community has a unique hostility to homosexuality, especially male homosexuality.  

African-American hostility to SSM, as measured by votes, used to be on a par with the electorate as a whole. Black voters were more likely to support SSM than white Republican voters, but less than Democratic voters in general and white Democrats in particular. It was the comparison with Democrats as a whole that led to tensions with gays.

However, that's no longer the case, as shown by results in Maryland's referendum. When Barack Obama endorsed SSM in 2012, a chunk of African-American voters who previously opposed it, shifted with him. Support was still tepid (see PG County) but had moved enough to make the difference between success and defeat.

Looking back 10+ years in Massachusetts, we would have been nowhere without the vocal advocacy in the legislature by Rep. Benjamin Swan and Sen. Dianne Wilkerson in early days, and then when Deval Patrick came into office toward the end of the effort to get an amendment, he personally led the push to kill off that initiative in the legislature (unless I'm miss remembering when it ended.... I think the last vote, where DOMA failed to get 25%, was in early 2007.)

The "minorities are opposed to gay marriage" myth is getting tiresome.

I didn't say minorities as a whole.  I said black people.  And, if you just compare blacks to whites or the entire general public, blacks are more opposed to gay marriage.  I'm pretty sure that's a just a fact.   

[Blue3]

The 2012 exit polling proved that Hispanics and even African-Americans were more supportive of SSM than Whites.

[bedstuy]

The 2012 exit polling proved that Hispanics and even African-Americans were more supportive of SSM than Whites.

Last year, Pew had 50% of whites supporting SSM vs. 38% of blacks.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Because a majority now supports it, because liberal activists have invested a lot of energy on it, and because opposition groups aren't nearly as powerful/motivated as they are on other issues.

[TDAS04]

Something that was on my mind. I am certainly in support of it, but demographically it doesn't seem to add up.

The votes on this are usually a partisan breakdown. Even in states with liberal GOPs you don't get overwhelming GOP votes, and even if you do, those states are liberal enough to be able to do it with just the Democrats.

Furthermore, minorities tend to be in opposition to same-sex marriage. Evem minority Democrats are overwhelmingly opposed to it. That is a huge portion of Democratic politicians.

Basically, my point is that the group of voting politicians that the base of the support comes from is primarily white liberals. How many states outside of New England have enough white liberals to pass bills with just that?

It sounds really dumb because the issue has progressed so much and I probably am overthinking and overgeneralizing, but I still think it is a legitimate question.

I was surprised that SSM passed a referendum in Maryland because of the state's demographics, with its large black population and conservative-leaning whites.  However, maybe it's not too surprising that it passed it in 2012.  SSM-support has been increasing among all groups, and it passed with a majority in Maryland because it had overwhelming support form white liberals and a large enough portion of white Republicans and blacks.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

The "minorities are opposed to gay marriage" myth is getting tiresome.





(Black protestants, for obvious reasons, are less supportive of same-sex marriage than the Black community as a whole)

Can someone please tell me who these "unaffiliateds" (who I assume to be agnostic/atheist) are that oppose gay marriage?  WTF? 

[Hifly]

The "minorities are opposed to gay marriage" myth is getting tiresome.





(Black protestants, for obvious reasons, are less supportive of same-sex marriage than the Black community as a whole)

Can someone please tell me who these "unaffiliateds" (who I assume to be agnostic/atheist) are that oppose gay marriage?  WTF? 

I am unaffiliated.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

The "minorities are opposed to gay marriage" myth is getting tiresome.





(Black protestants, for obvious reasons, are less supportive of same-sex marriage than the Black community as a whole)

Can someone please tell me who these "unaffiliateds" (who I assume to be agnostic/atheist) are that oppose gay marriage?  WTF? 

I am unaffiliated.

Well, 23% of the unaffiliated population doesn't go to Oxford.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

The 2012 exit polling proved that Hispanics and even African-Americans were more supportive of SSM than Whites.

Last year, Pew had 50% of whites supporting SSM vs. 38% of blacks.

One poll is hardly enough evidence to substantiate your bold claim.

[Hifly]

The "minorities are opposed to gay marriage" myth is getting tiresome.





(Black protestants, for obvious reasons, are less supportive of same-sex marriage than the Black community as a whole)

Can someone please tell me who these "unaffiliateds" (who I assume to be agnostic/atheist) are that oppose gay marriage?  WTF?  

I am unaffiliated.

Well, 23% of the unaffiliated population doesn't go to Oxford.

As this is a graph featuring views of residents of the United States, I'd think roughly 0% of the unaffiliated population go to Oxford.

[TJ in Oregon]

I used to have an atheist roommate who was against gay marriage. He did believe that there was an intrinsic morality (and that homosexuality was against it), just not a God.

His girlfriend was a Christian who was a militant supporter of gay marriage and the two of them would argue about it sometimes. He'd get kind of annoyed after a while and try and change the subject.

[IceSpear]

Can someone please tell me who these "unaffiliateds" (who I assume to be agnostic/atheist) are that oppose gay marriage?  WTF? 

Well, I've come to realize that the main reason for opposition to gay marriage is "ewww!!!!!"

Of course, people with religious beliefs try to use that to cloak their true reasoning, but I'm assuming the 23% or so of unaffiliateds are the people that don't bother to lie about their true reasoning (unless it's two hot lesbians kissing, of course).

[Joe Republic]

I used to have an atheist roommate who was against gay marriage. He did believe that there was an intrinsic morality (and that homosexuality was against it), just not a God.

His girlfriend was a Christian who was a militant supporter of gay marriage and the two of them would argue about it sometimes. He'd get kind of annoyed after a while and try and change the subject.

That's a... pretty unique combination.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

The "minorities are opposed to gay marriage" myth is getting tiresome.





(Black protestants, for obvious reasons, are less supportive of same-sex marriage than the Black community as a whole)

Can someone please tell me who these "unaffiliateds" (who I assume to be agnostic/atheist) are that oppose gay marriage?  WTF? 

I am unaffiliated.

I thought you said you were Lutheran.

I used to have an atheist roommate who was against gay marriage. He did believe that there was an intrinsic morality (and that homosexuality was against it), just not a God.

His girlfriend was a Christian who was a militant supporter of gay marriage and the two of them would argue about it sometimes. He'd get kind of annoyed after a while and try and change the subject.

That'd make for a pretty interesting sitcom.

Is that girl single now, by any chance? (I kid.)

[Hifly]

The "minorities are opposed to gay marriage" myth is getting tiresome.





(Black protestants, for obvious reasons, are less supportive of same-sex marriage than the Black community as a whole)

Can someone please tell me who these "unaffiliateds" (who I assume to be agnostic/atheist) are that oppose gay marriage?  WTF?  

I am unaffiliated.

I thought you said you were Lutheran.

The German side of my family is Lutheran, and I attended Lutheran church services, however I do not any more and now tend to regard myself as unaffiliated. Martin Luther was a great guy though

[Blue3]

The 2012 exit polling proved that Hispanics and even African-Americans were more supportive of SSM than Whites.

Last year, Pew had 50% of whites supporting SSM vs. 38% of blacks.

Yes, but of the poll of African-Americans who actually voted in 2012, the majority of them support SSM.

[bedstuy]

The 2012 exit polling proved that Hispanics and even African-Americans were more supportive of SSM than Whites.

Last year, Pew had 50% of whites supporting SSM vs. 38% of blacks.

Yes, but of the poll of African-Americans who actually voted in 2012, the majority of them support SSM.

Then, maybe it's between 38% and a majority.  It's very dynamic as it is with the general population.  Maybe last year it was 45% of blacks, and this year it's 49%, who knows.  But, it is less support than among white Democrats which is what I said originally.  And, that makes sense because black culture is more hostile to homosexuality than white culture.