Latest news with #Obergefell
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
New poll finds record-low support of marriage equality from Republicans since Obergefell v. Hodges
The divide between Democrats and Republicans on the morality of marriage equality is at its highest level, according to a new poll conducted by Gallup. Overall, a record 88 percent of Democrats supported marriage equality, compared to only 41 percent of Republicans – a low not seen since the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which affirmed marriage equality in 2015. While 68 percent of Americans support marriage equality, the 47 percent gap between Republicans and Democrats on the issue is the highest recorded since Gallup began polling on the issue of marriage equality in 1996. RELATED: Gay men prefer cities, lesbians prefer the country: census The poll was conducted from May 1 to 18 and asked a sample of 1,003 adults a series of questions about marriage equality and the morality of same-sex sexual relations. All interviewees were 18 years of age or older and came from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The poll claims a margin of error of ±4 percentage points. Interviewees were asked the following question: 'Do you think marriages between same-sex couples should or should not be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages?' RELATED: Gay marriage or marriage equality? Why the language matters Democrats supported marriage equality with 88 percent. Republican support for marriage equality was only 41 percent. Independents supported marriage equality with 76 percent. Americans support marriage equality by a wide margin. Interviewees were also queried about their moral perception of same-sex sexual relations. 'Regardless of whether or not you think it should be legal, for each one, please tell me whether you personally believe that in general it is morally acceptable or morally wrong? How about gay or lesbian relations?' interviewees were asked. RELATED: Americans don't want politicians focusing on trans issues For Democrats, 87 percent viewed same-sex sexual relations as morally acceptable, while only 38 percent of Republicans felt similarly. Republican belief that same-sex sexual relations are moral continues to dip. RELATED: Top 15 safest U.S. cities for LGBTQ+ travel Support for both marriage equality and the morality of same-sex sexual relations comes from a broad range of demographics, with only weekly attendees of church services disapproving of marriage equality and same-sex sexual relations. Only 33 percent of this demographic supported marriage equality and only 24 percent found same-sex sexual relations morally acceptable. Only Americans who attended church at least once per week disapproved of marriage equality and same-sex sexual relations, and by wide margins. Since 1996, support for marriage equality in the U.S. has consistently increased, according to Gallup. In that year, only 27 percent of Americans were in favor. This support grew to a majority in 2011 and has remained at that level since. Support has remained above 61 percent overall since 2016, a year after the Obergefell decision. While support for marriage equality remains high, Gallup warns that the deepening divide signals potential trouble for the support and protection of LGBTQ+ rights in the country, as Republican support for marriage equality and acceptance of same-sex sexual relations has been steadily decreasing in recent years. RELATED: LGBTQ+ married couples worry about losing benefits: study 'Despite the stable national backing for same-sex marriage and relations, the widening political divide suggests potential vulnerabilities in the durability of LGBTQ+ rights. In 2022, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his concurring opinion in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision that the high court 'should reconsider' its past rulings, including those on same-sex relationships and marriage,' Gallup concludes. 'Since then, Republican lawmakers in some states have introduced resolutions asking the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell. During his second term, President Donald Trump has implemented policies that significantly roll back LGBTQ+ protections, particularly affecting transgender individuals. These occurrences suggest that same-sex marriage in the U.S. could face renewed legal and political challenges."
USA Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
10 years after the Supreme Court protected same-sex marriage, a man at the heart of the case looks back
10 years after the Supreme Court protected same-sex marriage, a man at the heart of the case looks back Ten years after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, Ohioan Jim Obergefell worries the decision could be at risk. Here is what he has to say Show Caption Hide Caption Ohio's Jim Obergefell on gay marriage Supreme Court win and what's next Ten years ago, Ohioan Jim Obergefell catapulted into the national spotlight as the man who took gay marriage to the U.S. Supreme Court and won the right for millions of people like him and his husband. Jim Obergefell and John Arthur, an Ohio couple, married in Maryland in 2013 due to Ohio's same-sex marriage ban. Their case, *Obergefell v. Hodges*, led to the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Obergefell reflects on the decision's 10th anniversary, expressing concern about current threats to LGBTQ+ rights. In 2013, Jim Obergefell and John Arthur flew on a medical jet to exchange vows in Maryland where same-sex marriage was legal at the time. With Arthur in hospice care for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, time was slipping away for the couple, and their home state of Ohio prohibited same-sex marriage. Days after their tarmac wedding, civil rights attorney Al Gerhardstein showed them a blank death certificate. More: After 775K gay marriages, Americans are still fighting for rights 10 years later "Do you guys understand that when John dies, his last record as a person will be wrong here, where it says marital status at the time of death?" Gerhardstein told them. "Ohio will say John was unmarried. And Jim, your name will not be here, where it says surviving spouse name." Broken hearted and angry at the idea of not being recognized by their home state, Arthur and Obergefell told Gerhardstein, yes, they wanted to do something about it. Arthur didn't live to see the fruits of that decision: On June 26, 2015 in a 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court decided states must allow for same-sex marriages and must recognize those solemnized in other states. Obergefell and his husband John Arthur were at the center of the U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized gay marriage in 2015. Arthur died in October 2013 at the age of 48. Obergefell, now 58, splits his time on multiple projects: a wine business, speaking engagements, promotion of a new book, helping a local equality nonprofit and more. The following is a question and answer session with Obergefell, reflecting on the 10-year anniversary of the same-sex marriage ruling and the state of LGBTQ+ rights today. It has been edited for clarity and brevity. Question: Ten years ago, you were in the courtroom on June 26 when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy read the decision summary. What was your reaction? Obergefell: Initially I thought "we won" but it's legal writing, which isn't incredibly clear to non-lawyers, but then it sunk in, "Yeah, Jim, you won." And I burst into tears, and I could hear people around the courtroom sobbing. My first thought was, "John, I wish you were here. I wish you could experience this. I wish you could know that our marriage cannot be erased." What I wasn't expecting to feel was this realization that for the first time in my life as an out gay man, I felt like an equal American. Question: The decision changed the lives of millions of Americans. How do you feel about that now, 10 years later? Obergefell: Being part of the plaintiffs who took the fight to marriage equality to the Supreme Court has been an amazing experience. When people find out who I am or recognize me, they'll stop and hug me, shake my hand, tell me stories, show me photos of their loved ones. I've had people come out to me. One woman told me if it weren't for the decision, she would've committed suicide because she never saw a future for herself. I've had the joy of officiating almost 30 weddings since decision day. And John's been gone almost 12 years but I get to talk about him again and again. Question: You've experienced an outpouring of love and support. Have you also encountered hate? Obergefell: I have not been subjected to outright hate in public but I'm worried that may change. Other plaintiffs in the case have had bad experiences. I have not. The only explanation I can give is that our story is one of love and loss and most people can relate to losing someone they loved. I also made the decision early on to never read comments on the internet. Question: Do you feel like a historic figure or hero? Obergefell: My name is on a landmark Supreme Court decision, so I know I'm part of history. I still remember when my niece texted me a photo of her high school textbook with the story of "Obergefell v Hodges." I don't feel like a hero. John and I simply found ourselves facing a simple question: Were we willing to fight for what we believed in and to fight to exist? And to me, that wasn't a brave decision. That was an obvious decision. John deserved to die with an accurate death certificate, and we deserved to be seen by the state we call home. Question: How do you feel about same-sex marriage in America now, given the current political climate? Obergefell: Ten years after the decision, I never thought I would be worried about marriage equality continuing as a right in our nation. We have two sitting Supreme Court justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, who said they want to overturn Obergefell. And Clarence Thomas mentioned other cases that are important to the queer community, including Lawrence versus Texas, which overturned anti-sodomy laws. We have state legislatures passing resolutions urging the court to overturn the case. So, 10 years later, I'm worried about marriage equality because there are people who refuse to let it lie. I just honestly don't understand why. How has any queer marriage ever impacted a straight marriage? It hasn't. Question: Ohio's defense of marriage act remains in state law and the state constitution. Why do you think Ohio lawmakers never removed those? Obergefell: It's understandable that a lot of people think the court decision invalidated those laws. But we live in a time when the Supreme Court no longer believes in the bedrock principle of precedence. They overturned Roe versus Wade, which had been precedent for 49 years. Marriage equality has been here for 10 years. It is at risk. Question: Rick Hodges served as the Ohio Department of Health director at the time during Gov. John Kasich's administration. His name is on the other side of Obergefell v Hodges. What is your relationship with Hodges? Obergefell: People assume that the person on the other side of a case is an adversary. I love sharing the fact that Rick Hodges and I are friends. We do events together, speak together, do press conferences together. We met in 2016 over coffee and one of the first things he said was "I've never been happier to lose something." As health director, he took an oath to uphold Ohio law but he was on our side the entire time. Question: After you won at the federal district court, then Gov. John Kasich and then Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine appealed the case to the 6th District Court of Appeals. How do you feel about Kasich and DeWine? Obergefell: It's fair to say that there is no love lost between John Kasich, Mike DeWine and myself. DeWine as governor has done some things I've approved of but then he does other things that harm the LGBTQ+ community. Question: What is your message to Gov. DeWine today? Obergefell: I'd like to remind you that everyone in our community are human beings, deserving of the same human rights and civil rights as any other person in this state. I ask you to push back against the hateful legislation that arrives on your desk. It's your duty to look out for all of us, and that includes people you might not personally like. We deserve to live our lives on equal footing with others in the state. Stop bowing down to the extremists in the state legislature, push back on the harmful, hateful legislation that comes from that body. Stand up. Have some principles and actually make decisions that are based on facts, reality and science instead of lies and half truths made up to target and marginalize communities. That is your duty as a governor. Question: There is a backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion, LGBTQ rights and against transgender Americans. Where do you think it's leading? Obergefell: It's leading this nation to a White Christian fascist state. We are heading backward in time instead of forward. We are going back to a time when people of color and queer people weren't considered human beings. You're passing laws and doing things that tell us we are not human beings. That is not what this nation is about. Our founding documents starts with "we the people." And the people means all of us, not just White, straight Christians. Question: Following the Obergefell decision, polls showed increased support for same sex marriage but then opponents of LGBTQ rights seemed to shift their focus to transgender Americans. Why? Obergefell: Over those first few years, marriage equality became a normal part of life for millions of people across the country. Their neighbors, their friends, their family members, their coworkers, they were seeing queer marriages happen. People opposed to marriage equality realized they lost that fight but still didn't like the queer community. So they decided to attack the most vulnerable part of the LGBTQ+ community, the trans community. They've been successful in turning trans people into the boogeyman, into these dangerous people when nothing could be further from the truth. They just want to live their lives without fearing for their lives. Question: Do you see any turning point for the trans community in the next five to 10 years, either positive or negative? Obergefell: Every part of our community needs to fight for our trans family. We are all considered outsiders by straight society. The thing that would have an impact is if the entire LGBTQ+ community, with one voice, says the trans community is part of our family. We support them. We fight for them. They deserve every right that we enjoy, every right that the rest of society enjoys. Question: What will the future look like for LGBTQ+ Ohioans and Americans 10 years from now? Obergefell: I'm going to go with optimism. The future depends on people across the country, across Ohio, realizing that hate is not the way for this country to operate. It will take people understanding that our nation was founded on religious freedom – that doesn't mean making your particular interpretation of your particular faith foremost in everything that happens in our country. It doesn't mean you get to use your faith as a weapon or to dictate how people live their lives. So that national realization has to happen and there has to be pushback against that dangerous path that we're heading down. We also need people to vote. Question: Having your name on the Supreme Court ruling has given you a big platform. Have you been intentional about how to use it or did your approach just evolve into what we hear from you today? Obergefell: I used to say I'm an accidental activist. But then I realized John and I were quiet activists because we were open about who we are. I think because of John's health and our decision to get married, I became an activist. That really did change me profoundly. I have to keep fighting to make the world a better place for people who come after me, because, honestly, I owe it to the people who came before me, people like Edie Windsor, Frank Kameny, Harvey Milk. I want a future where a queer kid doesn't have to be afraid or wonder, well what kind of future do I have? They don't have to be terrified about being authentically themselves. So that's what I have to keep fighting for.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Support for same-sex marriage stays strong as party divide widens, poll shows
The Brief A decade after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, 68% of Americans still support it, according to Gallup. Support among Democrats has reached a record 88%, while Republican support has dropped to 41%, creating the largest-ever partisan gap on the issue. Despite steady national support, the widening divide and political efforts to revisit past rulings may put same-sex marriage rights at risk. WASHINGTON - It's been a decade since the Supreme Court made same-sex marriages legal across the U.S. in its ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. A recent Gallup poll said currently 68% of Americans still support the ruling. By the numbers According to Gallup, since 2021, about 68% to 71% of U.S. adults have supported same-sex marriage. While overall support has stayed steady, party opinions have shifted. Support among Democrats has hit a record high of 88%, and independents remain steady at 76%. RELATED: Trump signs order aiming to limit gender transitions for minors But Republican support has dropped from a high of 55% to 41%, the lowest since 2016. The gap between Democrats and Republicans is now 47 points—the widest it's been since Gallup started tracking this issue 29 years ago. Support for same-sex marriage was low in 1996, with only 27% of Americans in favor. By 2004, it rose to 42%, and in 2011, most Americans supported it for the first time. After the 2015 Supreme Court ruling, support jumped to 61% in 2016 and has stayed above that since. Democrats have always been more supportive than Republicans, with independents generally closer to Democrats. A majority of Democrats have backed same-sex marriage since 2004, and independents since 2011. Support has grown among both groups. Republicans have only shown majority support twice—at 55% in 2021 and 2022—but that number has since dropped. Why you should care Gallup's May 1–18 poll showed that 64% of Americans say gay or lesbian relationships are morally acceptable. That number has stayed the same for the past three years. However, it is down from a high of 71% in 2022. Most Americans have felt this way since 2010. As with same-sex marriage, Democrats and Republicans are growing further apart. Right now, 86% of Democrats say same-sex relations are morally acceptable—a new high—while only 38% of Republicans agree, the lowest since 2012. Republican support peaked at 56% in 2022 but has dropped since then. Independents are closer to Democrats on this issue, with 69% currently saying same-sex relationships are morally acceptable. Their views have stayed more stable over time. Dig deeper Even though national support remains high, the growing political divide could put LGBTQ+ rights at risk. In 2022, Justice Clarence Thomas said the Supreme Court should reconsider past rulings, including those on same-sex marriage. Since then, some Republican lawmakers have pushed for the Supreme Court to overturn that decision. RELATED: What is DEI? Trump ends equal employment 'restoring merit-based opportunity' President Donald Trump has also rolled back protections for LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender individuals. These actions suggest same-sex marriage could face new legal and political threats. The Source The information in this story comes from Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll, conducted from May 1 to May 18, 2025. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
On marriage equality, new polling suggests Republicans are moving backwards
The so-called 'culture war' is made up of fights over all kinds of social and cultural issues, but in the recent past, it appeared marriage equality was no longer near the top of the list of contentious disputes. The Supreme court made same-sex marriage the law of the land; polls showed broad and bipartisan public support; and even congressional Republicans moved on. The civil rights fight was over. Fairness and human decency had prevailed. There's fresh evidence, however, that a growing number of Republicans are starting to move backwards on the issue. NBC News reported: While Democratic support for gay nuptials has risen steadily since [the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges decision in 2015], Republican support has tumbled 14 points since its record high of 55% in 2021 and 2022, according to a Gallup report released Thursday. As recently as a few years ago, Gallup found that a narrow majority of self-identified Republican voters agreed that same-sex couples should be 'recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages.' But over the last three years, GOP support for marriage equality has fallen from 55% to 41% — the sharpest slide since the national pollster started keeping track — even as attitudes among Democrats and independents move in the opposite direction. (For more information on the poll's methodology and margin of error, click the link.) In fact, Gallup's latest data suggests GOP voters are roughly back to where they were in 2016, surrendering nearly a decade of progress. Complicating matters, the survey isn't the only discouraging news for civil rights advocates. Circling back to our earlier coverage, even after the Supreme Court's Obergefell ruling, then-Sen. Marco Rubio (before the Floridian became secretary of state) was one of the most prominent Republicans who not only said he disagreed with the justices' decision, the Floridian also vowed to look for ways to 'change the law' in order to stop same-sex couples from getting married. Soon after, in October 2020, Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas complained in a dissent about the 'victims' of the court's marriage equality ruling, and a month later, Alito delivered an unusually political speech to the Federalist Society in which he complained about social pressure surrounding anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments. 'You can't say that marriage is a union between one man and one woman' anymore, the conservative justice whined, as if he were a candidate seeking social conservatives' votes. 'Until very recently, that's what the vast majority of Americans thought. Now it's considered bigotry.' A year later, Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, argued that if you support marriage equality, 'it means you're not a movement conservative.' All of which is to say that it seemed as though the debate over marriage equality had run its course, but for too many on the right, that's apparently no longer the case. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Divide on gay marriage is biggest in 3 decades as GOP support craters, poll finds
The partisan divide on same-sex marriage has grown to an unprecedented degree — largely due to cratering GOP support, according to new polling. In the latest Gallup survey, 88% of Democrats said they supported same-sex marriage, compared to just 41% of Republicans who said the same. This 47-point difference is the largest on record since Gallup first asked this question 29 years ago. Still, though, 68% of overall respondents favor same-sex marriage — a figure that has held relatively steady over the past half-decade. Over the longer term, it has risen considerably, beginning at 27% in 1996 and passing the 50% threshold in 2011. The unparalleled partisan gap comes as Republican backing for same-sex marriage has trended downward, falling 14 points in the past three years. It reached a high of 55% in 2021 and 2022 before dropping to 49% in 2023 and to 46% in 2024. It now stands at its lowest level since 2016. At the same time, Democratic support has been more stable, though it now stands at its highest-ever level, up 5 points from 2024. Opinions among independents track closely with Democrats, with 76% now favoring same-sex marriage — down 1 point from a record-high in 2023. The poll — which sampled 1,003 U.S. adults May 1-18 — comes 10 years after the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, which held that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples. It also comes as Republican lawmakers in several states have put forward resolutions calling on the Supreme Court to overturn the landmark decision, something Justice Clarence Thomas has said the court 'should reconsider.' Other findings The poll — which has a margin of error of 4 percentage points — also asked respondents whether they believed same-sex relations are morally acceptable. Overall, 64% of respondents said they are acceptable — a figure that has held steady for three years now. However, like with same-sex marriage, the partisan divide on this question has grown to its largest level on record. The vast majority of Democrats, 86%, said same-sex relations are morally acceptable, marking the highest such share ever recorded. In contrast, 38% of Republicans think they are acceptable — the lowest share on record. Meanwhile, 69% of independents said same-sex relations are acceptable, up 1 point from 2024. Putting partisan differences aside, majorities of most other demographics said same-sex relations are acceptable and that they support same-sex marriage. For example, 68% of women said gay and lesbian relations are acceptable, and 73% said same-sex marriage should be valid. For men, these figures were 58% and 62%, respectively. Most college graduates also responded affirmatively to both questions as did most who did not graduate college. The one group that bucked the trend was respondents who attend religious services weekly — 33% of whom said same-sex marriage should be valid and 24% of whom said same-sex relations are morally acceptable. 'Ten years after the Supreme Court established same-sex marriage as a constitutional right, national support remains strong and steady,' Gallup concluded. 'However, this ostensible stability masks deepening partisan divides.'
