The public
backlash over same-sex marriage has receded since a
controversial decision by the Massachusetts supreme court in
2003 to legalize those marriages stirred strong
opposition, according to a poll released Wednesday.
Same-sex marriage remains a divisive issue,
however, with 51% opposing it, the poll by the Pew
Research Center for the People and the Press in
Washington found. But almost two
thirds--63%--opposed same-sex marriage in
February 2004.
"Most Americans still oppose gay marriage, but
the levels of opposition are down, and the number of
strong opponents is down," said Andrew Kohut, director
of the Pew Research Center. "This has some
implications for the midterm elections if this trend is
maintained. There are gay marriage ballot initiatives
in numerous states."
Same-sex marriage got intense media coverage in
2004 after the Massachusetts court case, the decision
by San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom to issue thousands
of marriage licenses to gay couples, and similar
cases. But the intense focus on same-sex marriage has
declined in the past year.
In 2004 opponents of same-sex marriage were able
to pass ballot initiatives banning the practice in 13
states, from Georgia to Oregon. Those initiatives also
helped conservatives rally their voters to the polls.
The number of people who say they strongly
oppose same-sex marriage has dropped from 42% in early
2004 to 28% now. Strong opposition has dropped sharply
among senior citizens and Republicans.
People are now evenly split on allowing
adoptions by gay couples, and six in 10 now favor
allowing gays to serve openly in the military.
Legal challenges of laws on same-sex marriage
could result in more court decisions that stir public
opinion, but this midterm election year is starting
with far less public anxiety about one of the nation's most
volatile social issues. The telephone poll of 1,405 adults
was conducted March 8-12 and has a margin of
sampling error of plus or minus three percentage
points. (AP)
