Support for Civil Unions Up SHARPLY (+14% in 9 months)

Civil unions gain support
By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY

A majority of Americans favor legalizing civil unions for gay couples as an alternative to same-sex marriage, according to a new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll.

The poll found that 54% support civil unions, which provide some of the legal benefits of marriage, and 42% oppose them. That's a change from July, when respondents opposed civil unions by 57% to 40%.

The latest findings show a public struggling to find a middle ground on gay marriage. The issue has been debated heatedly since the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in November that gay marriage would become legal in that state on May 17.

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Half favor a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. That level of support is down slightly from 53% shortly before Bush endorsed an amendment on Feb. 24.

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http://usatoday.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=USATODAY.com+-+Civil+unions+gain+support&expire=&urlID=9552770&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fusatoday.com%2Fnews%2Fnation%2F2004-03-09-gaymarriage-usat_x.htm&partnerID=1660

..the right tries to squeeze the life out of gay marriage and civil unions by altering the Constitution and it galvanizes public opinion against them. It's still a long struggle to get gay marriages legalized, but for the first time I see some hope.

It's an issue gay rights activists and "sanctity of marriage" activists should agree on. Creating a marriage-lite is kind of an attack on marriage. In many states the civil unions they have defined are not restricted to gay couples.

So a heterosexual pair can get married-lite, with some of the benefits of marriage, but perhaps less of the responsibilities.

Maybe someday you'll be able to get married on a 5 year renewable basis. :-)

For all the lip service payed by the religious right the sanctity of this great institution, they sure don't seem to care to much about things like:
* prenumptual contracts
* how easy it is to get a divorce
* silly laws like you're married if you have sex in Oklahoma (gays should try that)
* random people being able to marry you like in casinos

I remember a few months ago when the swing went to slightly negative and some here cried that it was "backlash" and that a civil union plank in the Dem platform was a bad idea. Now it's gone the other way again.

These are major societal issues and are bound to go back and forth for quite a while. Encouragingly, the overall trend is continuing toward the positive.