New poll about marriage equailty [Archive]

View Full Version : New poll about marriage equailty

redfox

3-19-13, 12:38am

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/03/18/gay-marriage-support-hits-new-high-in-post-abc-poll/

Several very interesting graphs. Things are changing!

bae

3-19-13, 12:40am

It won't even be an issue for my grandchildren, I suspect.

gimmethesimplelife

3-19-13, 5:42am

I remember six years ago in March of 2007 I was reading a story in the Arizona Republic that had a photo above of it of two men getting married in Mexico City. Turns out that gay marriage was made legal in Mexico City around that time - in a developing country that some Americans look down on. I remember feeling so embarrased as this was around the time in Arizona that the climate started getting more hostile towards illegals in Arizona - and here the country where a good number came from was light years ahead of much of the United States, at least on this one issue.

Fast forward to now in 2013 and I have to say I am amazed at how much change there has been in just the past six years. Both in attitudes and laws. Gay men and lesbians can now serve openly in the military, the President to this country has stood up for gay rights in speeches, and the Supreme Court will be visiting the issue of gay marriage very shortly. Just amazing change, and I am very grateful for it. Just two weeks ago I saw two young men walking down a downtown street holding hands and was just spellbound - when I was that age you would never have done such a thing. The risks were just too great at the time in somewhere like Phoenix.

But even in Phoenix, Arizona in the past few weeks a gay rights ordinance was passed regarding employment and housing discrimination. I honestly thought even ten years ago I'd never live to see any of this. I gotta say in this one area I am proud of the direction the United States is taking. Rob

Gregg

3-19-13, 10:23am

It won't even be an issue for my grandchildren, I suspect.

I hope that's true. Actually I hope that our kids will remember the opposition only in history lessons. Unfortunately my home state of Nebraska is currently debating three separate gay rights bills. One deals with employment protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation. It received the expected level of opposition, but will probably end up on the next statewide ballot, where it should pass. The other two deal with adoption by GLBT couples and with GLBT couples serving as foster parents. I find myself very uncomfortable and disappointed with the level of opposition to those bills. Like AZ we've made progress in recent years, but we still have a long way to go.

JaneV2.0

3-19-13, 11:30am

bae

3-19-13, 12:40pm

I guess we won't have full support for gay rights until everyone has a GLBT child, like Rob Portman. It's a shame social issues only matter to some people when they're personally involved, but whatever works, I guess.

This is no guarantee of success.

My father came out to his family some years ago. Most of them disowned him, very hatefully.

JaneV2.0

3-19-13, 1:09pm

This is no guarantee of success.

My father came out to his family some years ago. Most of them disowned him, very hatefully.

I hope social momentum will make this sad scenario rarer. At least there's more societal support now beyond the family of origin.

Spartana

3-19-13, 1:37pm

I heard that only 58 percent of americans support gay marriage - better then in the past but still way too low IMHO.

I saw an old "Law and Order: SVU" show the other night and one of the issues was about the right of spouses to not have to testify against their spouse. The couple in the show were a legally married same-sex couple who were married in one state yet going to court in another state (NY). So while the state they married in aknowlegde their marriage as legal, NY didn't (at least for this show) and therefore one spouse could be forced to testify against the other. This scenario would never happen in a hetro marriage as all states recognize the legallity of marriage across the boards. So, while it's TV, it is one reason (amonst many many others) why gay marriage need to be recognized as legal between all states (and at the federal level) the same way that hetrosexual marriages are now. I find it funny that conservatives are OK with having the federal government override state's rights concerning marriage laws by enacting DOMA, yet get their panties in a bunch when you suggest the Feds override the state's rights by enacting something to allow gay marriage at the fed level.

bae

3-19-13, 2:33pm

I find it funny that conservatives are OK with having the federal government override state's rights concerning marriage laws by enacting DOMA, yet get their panties in a bunch when you suggest the Feds override the state's rights by enacting something to allow gay marriage at the fed level.

I'm a conservative, Spartana.

But I'm not supportive of "states rights" being used to use the power of government to discriminate. I'm no more in favor of allowing indidivual states to decide if marriage is allowed between adults than I am in allowing individual states to decide if people with the wrong color skin can be enslaved, or allowing individual states decide that only one gender can vote.

peggy

3-19-13, 8:19pm

I guess we won't have full support for gay rights until everyone has a GLBT child, like Rob Portman. It's a shame social issues only matter to some people when they're personally involved, but whatever works, I guess.

I know! This tells me two things.
1) All politics really is local, and
2) Rob Portman isn't much of a leader if all this time he couldn't look beyond his own nose and even imagine, in his further-est imagining, now anyone else could feel, or think except for what he personally thought or felt. I say vote his butt out and vote in someone who is a gay, black, handicapped, woman, atheist, immigrant (have I forgotten any one?) if all we can expect of our leaders is personal experience brought to the decision. Sheesh! I would expect a little more critical, and insightful, thinking skills of an elected leader...but that's just me.

gimmethesimplelife

3-19-13, 11:13pm

I know! This tells me two things.
1) All politics really is local, and
2) Rob Portman isn't much of a leader if all this time he couldn't look beyond his own nose and even imagine, in his further-est imagining, now anyone else could feel, or think except for what he personally thought or felt. I say vote his butt out and vote in someone who is a gay, black, handicapped, woman, atheist, immigrant (have I forgotten any one?) if all we can expect of our leaders is personal experience brought to the decision. Sheesh! I would expect a little more critical, and insightful, thinking skills of an elected leader...but that's just me.Hi Peggy,

Personally I respect Rob Portman for his stance on gay marriage. My take is that given that he is a member of the GOP its a fairly gutsy stance to take. The GOP does not seem to take kindly to those who don't toe the party line is my observation and this stance to many members of the GOP is not towing the party line. At least not the current party line.....One could say perhaps Portman is well off (and he probably is I'm guessing) and can economically afford any fallout from this stance, but I still think this took some guts and courage and perhaps soul searching. My hat is off to this man - both for his stance and for giving me some hope. Rob

bUU

3-20-13, 8:06am

peggy

3-20-13, 8:55am

Right now I'm in a wait-and-see pattern regarding Portman's stance. I'm waiting to see if he ever extends a similarly-directed compassionate perspective beyond the scope that directly benefits his own family.

This is what I mean! Where is he on women's rights? Immigrants? Minorities? I'm just tired of the "all abortions are bad, except of course in my case" thinking about issues facing our country.

Rob- it's going to happen. Keep strong. DOMA will be reversed and the states will follow quickly like a snowball rolling downhill. Like civil rights, SS and medicare, the people really do want this, and it will happen.

Gregg

3-20-13, 11:17am

Spartana

3-20-13, 1:14pm

I'm a conservative, Spartana.

But I'm not supportive of "states rights" being used to use the power of government to discriminate. I'm no more in favor of allowing indidivual states to decide if marriage is allowed between adults than I am in allowing individual states to decide if people with the wrong color skin can be enslaved, or allowing individual states decide that only one gender can vote.I generally also support the state's rights to make most policies but, at least in this case, I really feel that there needs to be some uniformity between the states when it comes to recognizing the legality of same-sex marriages in all states (irregardless of what state you were married in) as it is for hetrosexual marriages. When I was married, my marriage was legally recognized by all states (and by the Feds), not just the state I married in. The Feds have a rule on their law books (and I believe it is a Constitutional Ammendment) that says that all legal marriages are to be recognized in all states irregardless of the state the people were married in. However, because DOMA only acknowlegdes a marriage as between a male and a female, that same fed policy doesn't exist for gay marriages. That is something I think needs to be recified by the feds in some way - by eliminating DOMA and also extending the heterosexual "marriage is recognized as legal in all states no matter where you were married" policy to gay marriage too.

I was only joking about the conservatives (which I am also on many issues) getting their panties in a bunch comment. I just find it funny/humorous that they didn't get mad over the feds interference with states rights when they passed DOMA and the many other fed laws regarding marriages, but do get mad if the feds want to pass other (gay) marriage laws.

From Wikipedia:
"According to the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), there are 1,138[1] statutory provisions in which marital status is a factor in determining benefits, rights, and privileges. These rights and responsibilities apply to only male-female couples, from the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), defining marriage as between a man and a woman."