Drawing the Line on Same-Sex Marriage

the time has come: friends and family, you’re either with us or against us

Yet another new poll out today showing national support for same-sex marriage at an all time high: (from CNN/ORC)

Indeedy, it is getting better. A CNN/ORC poll released yesterday revealed that 54% of Americans believe same-sex marriage should be made legal. 42% still oppose the idea, but with the support at the highest levels since 2008, the news is a ray of sunshine warming our smiling faces through the storm clouds. (Forgive the cheese.) 73% of people polled aged 18-34 gave their support.

Same sex marriage at a +12 favorability nationally is pretty stunning to see, but it seems like that’s pretty close to the actual number, with this May 23rd Washington Post/ABC Poll showing support at 53-39 (+14). The most stunning number is that 3 out of every 4 people under the age of 35 back same-sex marriage, putting that issue on the same level as interracial marriage in a very real sense (roughly 25% of Americans are publicly against interracial marriage). More interesting stat lines from the polling:

Less than a quarter, 23 percent, of Republicans supported marriage equality, compared with 70 percent of Democrats.
60 percent of people said they had a family member or close friend who was gay, compared with 45 percent in 2007.

The most dramatic take from this data is how far out of the social mainstream the Republican Party has come. With only 23% in support, that means that the polling must have found roughly 60-65% overall support for same sex marriage between Democrats and independents. President Obama’s historic endorsement of same sex marriage seems to be the catalyst at pushing same sex marriage support into the driver’s seat on a permanent basis, even in the African-American community, where same sex marriage struggled to gain a foothold previously.
But what does that mean for us? The main point to be drawn from all of the above is that now, more than ever, the war for public opinion is over. The 65+, super conservative voting bloc is pretty much cancelled out because the rest of the country is with us. And the fact is, the time for fence sitting is over.


I’m sure many LGBTQ individuals can relate to having that one friend or family member that just can’t bring themselves to support same sex marriage, but boy, are they sure nice to you! Hey, they think you should be able to see your “partner” at the hospital, but “marriage is marriage”! Maybe it’s because of their religion, or they just are a “traditionalist”.

Well, here’s the thing: When roughly 7/10 non-crazy people agree that not allowing same-sex marriages is a violation of civil and human rights because it denies equality, your support for denying equal rights to gay and lesbian Americans is no longer acceptable because the rest of us have evolved enough to realize that it is a bigoted, discriminative and morally abhorrent position that, very shortly, will be as socially acceptable as a KKK cross-burning. Get with the program. The simple fact is, on a personal level, how you can look me in the face and profess your “love” or “care” for me while simultaneously supporting the government’s ability to legally discriminate against me for something I can’t control is SICK. It’s wrong, and it’s fucked up.


And I am sorry if you just “can’t do it”. Maybe it’s the Bible, or whatever backwards, outdated, and usually outrageous excuse that you use to justify your innate homophobia, but here’s the deal: we’re done. To those in my life that don’t support my fundamental right to marry whomever I choose, then fuck off. This might seem callous, but why do I want to remain on speaking terms with someone who believes that I should be discriminated against in the eyes of the law? I am not friends with any white supremacists, or neo-Nazis. I am sure as hell not going to be associating with anyone who’s a bigot and homophobe, and yes, when you’re a homophobe, and believe in discrimination, that absolutely makes you a bigot. You are NO BETTER than a racist or a sexist. History will judge you that way, and I have no interest in associating with someone who will be known as a member of the last generation that opposed same-sex marriage in America.