Californians Turn Tide to Support Gay Marriage

By Anastacia Mott Austin

The recent decision by California’s State Supreme Court supporting the rights of homosexual couples to marry seems to have swayed voters in the state.

Previous polls in past years have indicated that Californians opposed gay marriage by a small margin. But this week’s Field Poll, a fairly accurate predictor of voter mood, said that most Californians feel that gay couples should be allowed to marry, and also are opposed to a constitutional ban of gay marriage.

Earlier this month the state’s highest court ruled that denying marriage rights to homosexuals was unconstitutional, citing existing California state law which says that all individuals, including gay people, have equal rights under the constitution. If that is the case, said the court, then denying gay couples the right to legally marry is not following state law.

Conservative religious groups reacted quickly, telling reporters they had collected enough signatures to put a gay marriage ban amendment on November’s ballot. If the amendment is approved by California voters, then the victory will be short-lived.

In the meantime, gay couples are applying for marriage licenses in record numbers in the state, say officials. Court rulings take effect about 30 days after the fact, and city clerks are expecting a continuing high volume of marriage license applications for months to come.

In the Field Poll, in which 1,052 registered voters were surveyed by telephone, 51% of voters said they supported the idea of gay marriage, and 42% were opposed (a similar poll using different wording yielded similar results). The same percentages of voters (51% to 43%) were against a state constitutional ban of gay marriage.

Mark DiCamillo, director of California’s Field Poll, told reporters that the state court’s decision may have lent the issue legitimacy in the minds of those who were previously undecided. "We had this historic ruling of the state Supreme Court, and people may have been persuaded," he said. "We do see a shift. It looks like something happened to affect opinion."

The voters’ opinions varied a great deal along the lines of political and religious affiliation, with Democrats supporting gay marriage rights and Republicans opposed, and more conservative religious groups also against the idea.

Opinions also varied greatly by age, with 68% of those aged 18-29 supporting gay marriage rights, versus 55% of older voters (65 and older) opposing it.

Sociological experts say that this could be a sign of the changing times, as more new, younger voters make their voices heard.

DiCamillo said to reporters, "As young people are replacing older people, voters are more supportive." Added DiCamillo, "The trend line itself is historic. The lines are crossing. This is a major sociological event in California."