The absolutely stunng rise support for gay marriage, 1 chart - The Washgton Post

Contents:

• ROB PORTMAN AND THE END OF THE GAY MARRIAGE BATE
• SUPREME COURT PROVIS POLIL MOMENTUM FOR GAY MARRIAGE ADVOT
• THE ABSOLUTELY STUNNG RISE SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE, 1 CHART

ROB PORTMAN AND THE END OF THE GAY MARRIAGE BATE

Is Chris Cillizza Gay? The Supreme Court will hear two landmark s on gay marriage this week that have the potential to rhape how the untry f one of s most sacred stutns. But, no matter how the high urt l later this year on California’s Proposn 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act, one thg is already clear: The polil bate over gay marriage is over.

SUPREME COURT PROVIS POLIL MOMENTUM FOR GAY MARRIAGE ADVOT

Rob Portman (R-Oh), a falist to serve as Mt Romney’s vice printial nomee 2012, announced last week that he was reversg urse and would now support the right of gay men and lbians to marry. (Portman said his cisn was fluenced by his son, Will, who is gay. In a Washgton Post-ABC poll released last week, nearly six 10 Amerins said they support the legalizatn of gay marriage.

It’s no secret that the issue divis strongly along generatnal l, wh 80 percent of those ag 18 to 29 supportive of gay marriage, pared wh 44 percent of those olr than 65.

THE ABSOLUTELY STUNNG RISE SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE, 1 CHART

In the Post-ABC survey, a slim majory of Republins and GOP-leang pennts younger than 50 now support gay marriage. Nearly seven 10 of those age 65 and olr oppose , but that number was more than eight 10 as recently as, ’s not simply the fact that young people are strongly supportive of allowg gay people to marry that means the polil fight on same-sex marriage is over.

After all, there is the possibily that as young people age, they might grow ls amenable to the fact, acrdg to Natnal Opn Rearch Center data gog back to 1988, each generatn has grown more supportive of gay marriage as has aged. Jt 25 percent of baby boomers backed legalizg gay marriage 2004, but that number had risen to 43 percent 2012.

Dto Gen X’ers — 37 percent of whom backed gay marriage 2004 and 53 percent who said the same ’s not jt natnal surveys where the shift is evint. )All of the above is not to say that the Republin Party will shift s broadly held opposn to gay marriage — at least any time soon. “I n’t image that posn would ever change, ” Hoe Speaker John Boehner (R-Oh) said last Sunday when asked about the possibily of swchg to support gay marriage.