Opposition to Discrimination on Gay and Lesbian People Continues to Climb

Are You Listening Conservatives, and When Do You Get on the Right Side of History

The concept of same sex marriage, when first thrust upon people who had never considered the issue is naturally one of opposition.  This is not inherent bias in many people, it is simply to the reaction to something totally different, something not considered because no one even thought about it.  Riding this initial wave of thoughtless opposition Conservatives initiated referendum on state Constitution amendments that would ban a state sanctioning same sex marriage. 

These votes were largely in favor of such bans.  With a large number of them held coincidental with the 2004 Presidential election, they helped to bring out strong Conservative voters who gave George W. Bush a narrow re-election victory. 

One of the few relatively Conservative states left to vote on the issue is North Carolina.  Republicans took control of the state legislature in 2010, and have placed such a ban on the ballot for next year.  Recent surveys in the state though  have produced some rather surprising results.

A statewide Elon University poll found 56 percent of respondents oppose changing the state constitution to permanently bar same-sex couples from marriage rights, the same result as an Elon poll in February. The General Assembly voted two weeks ago to let voters decide the constitutional amendment

 

Greater acceptance of gay rights was also demonstrated in the poll.

Meanwhile, 34 percent of respondents opposed all legal recognition for same-sex partners, down from 44 percent when the question was asked two years ago.


A major bedrock position of Conservatives is that government should stay out of people’s lives.  It should not become involved in people’s behavior when that behavior does not affect anyone else.  The poll results above show that at least on the issue of basic rights for gay and lesbian couples, the public, even in a conservative leaning state like North Carolina, are coming around to the conservative point of view.

Of course, not everyone has gotten the message.  Newt Gingrich in Fort Dodge, Iowa campaigning said this

“I believe that marriage is between a man and woman,” Gingrich said. “It has been for all of recorded history and I think this is a temporary aberration that will dissipate.

Just another reason why Mr. Gingrich should never hold office again.  Hopefully Mr. Gingrich's candidacy is just a temporary aberration that will soon dissipate.

Ironically, for Conservatives, this is happening just as Conservatives are abandoning their bedrock principles.  The gods of political irony cannot be denied.