Post-Prop 8, public opinion on same-sex marriage unchanged

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: CNN

How have the aftershocks of California’s Proposition 8 — the legal challenges to the states same-sex marriage ban, the protests and boycotts, the controversy that greeted President-elect Obama’s decision to invite evangelical minister Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration –- affected national public opinion on the issue?

Not at all, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Tuesday.

In June, 44 percent of those surveyed said that gay marriages should be recognized by law as valid, and a slim majority – 53 percent – said they should not. Six months later, public opinion seems frozen in place, at least for the moment: support for gay marriage remains at 44 percent. So does the opposition –- at 55 percent, it’s statistically unchanged from the summer result, given the survey’s margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Attitudes also remain unchanged on the question of gays in the military, with strong continuing support for the lifting of the current ban on openly gay service-members. Eighty-one percent of those surveyed say the ban should be lifted, compared with 17 percent who do not. In May of 2007, 79 percent supported lifting the ban, and 18 percent did not....

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/23/post-prop-8-public-opinion-on-same-sex-marriage-unchanged/

[Taverner]

1. Screw public opinion in this case - tyranny of the majority

The majority supported Slavery in its day too...

[NJmaverick]

4. Historically the courts have served as the protector of minority rights

[toopers]

19. That is why we were never intended to be a democracy . . .

mob rules kills individual rights.

[Hydra]

2. Amazing how "Freedom" stirs these people up when it involves killing brown people

But it's a "no" within our own country.

Why should I be surprised, though? Money for starvation in other countries, not in the US- that would be "welfare"

[NJmaverick]

3. We have our work cut out for us

I am not sure why this issue of basic human rights is so poorly supported. I figure it's one of three things

1) We have not worked hard enough

2) We need to try a stepped process. In other words full rights civil unions and then marriage

3) We are not using the best tactics.


Either that or it is the whole framing issue. How an issue is framed can often have a great impact. Even the title is part of the impact. "gay marriage" suggests a special marriage for gays. Perhaps we should only refer to it as marriage rights or civil rights for all. That might serve to better frame the issue.

[Hydra]

14. Civil or Human rights

The churches picked the term "Marriage Rights," and it was a slick move on their part- it makes it sound like they are applying for a special privilege rather than a basic right.

[customerserviceguy]

20. The wingnuts also used the term "marriage protection"

making the stupid types in the mushy middle think that their own marriages were under attack.

Joseph Goebbels would have been proud.

[GinaMaria]

23. I've never understood how someone else's union

could hurt my marriage. Have they sited an example? This is one of the most confusing statements from their side. Claiming, it's declared in their religeous documents or doctrine is one thing, but this statement is so strange to me. How would a marriage between anyone who might be different from you attack your marriage? A married satanic couple doesn't impact my marriage. Married vegetarians don't effect my marriage. Certainly GLBT marriages wouldn't have an effect on my marriage. The only marriages I can see that might effect my marriage is that of my husband's and my parents, and these issues can usually be worked out. Shouldn't marriage protection be about helping couples understand each other and work as team? This would help ensure that their children look for healthy partnerships and unions. I'm not understanding what threatens them so much.

on edit: The only ones who could attack my marriage or destroy it are me or my husband. Aren't these the same people who always claim personal responsiblity whenever they can? Sheesh.

[No Elephants]

25. The issue is equal rights for all Americans, be it military. marriage, adopton, pro-

creation or whatever. That's how it should have been framed from day one; and it should have been pursued decades ago, before it became associated with marriage, the military or any specifics. Had that happened, I think it would have found it's way into many state Constitutions. Too late now for that, but it still should be framed that way, for that's what the issue is, not marriage rights or adoption rights. Equal rights for all Americans.

[mondo joe]

5. I don't know which civil rights advance hads to be left to the mercy of an election.

Most or all have been won by the decision of the few.

[bluestateguy]

6. To get majority support, we just have to wait for a lot of old people to die

This issue has a major generation gap Time is on our side, not their's, and they know it too.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TheWraith]

8. There's a lot of truth to that.

I don't know anybody my age who's against gay marriage. Hell, I have a friend in California who was part of one of the street protests after Prop 8, and jumped on top of a taxi to make her displeasure known.

People get upset over the fact that it's not happening right now, but they tend to forget that relative to other rights-related causes, gay rights is moving at the speed of light. Compare the dialog five years ago to the dialog now.

[shanti]

18. for the most part yes

but there are plenty of younger xtians, gen-xrs and below as well, who voted for prop 8 too. in fact, the only people i've heard voting for it are xtians of all flavors.

[iandhr]

10. your right

18-29 year olds voted 60 to 38 against prop 8

[GinaMaria]

12. This will have to happen without majority support

it's a civil rights issue. No one got to vote on my marriage, nor should they have. Many different tactics are needed to advance this. Historically, I don't think there is an example of people being successful with waiting out the majority to be handed their rights. (if you know of one, please share, especially if you know of one in this country) I think rights must be demanded. These are human/civil rights. We are born with these rights. They are not up for popular vote.

[awoke_in_2003]

16. hear, hear. nt

[nichomachus]

9. Thank God we didn't take opinion polls on ending slavery.

That could have delayed emancipation by about, oh, 150 years.

[EFerrari]

11. And especially not CNN polls. They have yet to get anything right on this issue. n/t

[David__77]

13. If it really came down to it, the country would be divided on openly gays in military.

There is a large segment that couldn't abide by it, but like to think they could. I used to oppose focusing on the military. But now I realize it's of strategic importance for other lgbt fights: "He/she served her country in (insert country), but can't even marry the one he/she loves."

[GinaMaria]

22. Not only did "He/She serve his/her country, but

couldn't even talk about the one he or she loves. They are not allowed to tell/reveal to anyone in the military their orientation. It is kept a secret or it is an automatic dishonorable discharge.

[keepCAblue]

15. Civil rights are not an matter for popularity vote

If they were blacks would still be sitting on the back of the bus, schools still segregated and races not allowed to marry one another. Acceptance comes AFTER the laws are changed, which is why LGBTQI rights should be bestowed via a federal mandate, just as black rights were with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 -- LBJ FORCED congress to pass it in order to quell the civil rights uprisings and to keep promises made to the black civil rights leaders (MLK, most notably).

And regarding CNN's polling veracity. Remember it was CNN who released the inflammatory numbers immediately following the Nov. 4th election, claiming that 70% of blacks (75% black women) voted yes on 8. This set off a "divide and conquer" feud between the gay community and blacks - a fire which was fanned generously by leaders of the Catholic and Mormon churches and by Yes on 8 orgs like Focus on the Family. Later analysis of the county-by-county voting numbers proved these numbers were completely overblown, but in spite of this information, CNN and the major media continued to push these incendiary numbers on the public. Also keep in mind that it was also CNN who flipped the polling results of prop 8 -- initially reporting 52%:48% AGAINST prop 8, but then inexplicably flipped those numbers (there are screenshots of the flipped numbers).

So the bottom line: CNN polling numbers cannot be trusted. Ignore that man behind the curtain...

[rangersmith82]

17. Let em marry and let them join the military

It will make things easy when there is only one latrine/shower.

And then we can let the soldiers do whatever they want on their off time with whoever they want.

Men and Women need to be treated equal and the only reason we have separate showers/bathrooms is because of the sexual attraction between the two.

Do away with this and finally the sexes will be equal.

[Zhade]

21. Ah, so many bigoted homophobes.

Fucking asshole idiots.

[CatholicEdHead]

24. Demographic trends are positive

Give that same poll 5-10yrs from now and the majority nationally will support it. It will be accepted on the coasts and slowly work its way towards the middle of the country.