Majority of Americans Support Marriage Rights for Gays

Yes, you read that headline right.

Breathe that in for a moment.

For the first time ever, a new poll by Pew Research finds that 53% of Americans would permit gays and lesbians to enter into legal arrangements that would give them many of the same rights as married couples. What might be even more stunning is that 35 percent said they favor gay marriage. As Pam notes:

That's right, the majority [of] American people are coming around to the fact that civil equality for gays and lesbians is not going to destroy the nation, their marriages, or their families.

Things will no doubt get worse before they get better; this is sure to throw the Dominionists into quite a lather, and whenever that happens, you know it’s going to get ugly. The vitriol will be unbearable. We may well see a rise in anti-gay attacks, too. But if we do, bear this in mind: when a majority of the population finally supports a marginalized community, violence or threats against the community tend to solidify support, not undermine it. Any outrageous behavior will only serve to discredit anti-gay thugs in the eyes of those Americans who are just starting to wake up to the fact that gays deserve equal rights—in no small part because condemning such attitudes often helps people disassociate themselves from their own former ignorance of and/or hostility to the issues of the oppressed.

There will come a day when the 1,000+ rights and benefits conferred upon straight people simply through the act of getting married are no longer withheld from gays, and that day draws ever closer.

Progress comes slowly, but the wind is changing and the air smells sweet.