Why should gay and lesbian marriage be legal

On Aug. 11, , CNN released the results of the first national poll to show a majority support for gay marriage, with 52% agreeing that “gays and lesbians should have a constitutional right to get married and have their marriage recognized by law as valid.”. Across 96 empirical studies conducted over the past 20 years, research has consistently found that same-sex couples; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals; and their children have benefited from the granting of legal status to the marriages of same-sex couples.

Although same-sex marriage is a fundamental civil right, marriage is not the right choice for all gay and lesbian couples. This article explores some of the pros and cons of same-sex marriage.

As recently as , nearly twice as many Americans opposed than favored allowing gay and lesbian people to marry legally; by , public opinion had reversed, with 61% in favor and 31% opposed. The Obergefell v. Hodges ruling held that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, legalizing it nationwide over a decade ago. With the Senate set to take up a bill that would protect same-sex marriage at the federal level, a clear majority of Americans continue to say that the legalization of same-sex marriage is good for society.

Wade , turning abortion laws back to the states. Pew Research Center asked this question to track public views about the legal status of same-sex marriage. For this analysis, we surveyed 5, adults from Oct. This way nearly all U. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U. Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology.

Views of the impact of same-sex marriage on society are largely unchanged since However, there has been a dramatic increase in public support for same-sex marriage over the past two decades. There are wide ideological differences within both parties. There are also large differences by age. Opinions about the effect of same-sex marriage vary widely among religious groups.

Younger Republicans express much more positive views of same-sex marriage than older Republicans, but age differences among Democrats are less pronounced. Educational differences are somewhat wider among Democrats than among Republicans. There is little variation among Republicans by educational attainment.

same-sex marriage article

Note: Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology. Gabriel Borelli is a research associate focusing on U. Short Reads. November 15, By Gabriel Borelli. How we did this. Share This Link:.