Half of the American public believes gay marriage is a constitutional right.
Fifty percent said that same-sex marriages is protected by the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection clause, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released Friday. In contrast, 43% said they don’t think the law grants gay and lesbian couples the legal right to wed.
Americans’ support for gay marriage reached a record high in March when 59% of Americans of varying ages said they favored marriage equality. The newest poll reveals a three-point decrease in residents’ support for allowing same-sex individuals to marry, as the one-year mark approaches this month of when the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Thirty-eight percent currently oppose it.
The numbers in support of marriage equality this year are a big jump from a similar survey in 2004 that depicted just 32% of Americans favoring gay rights. Pennsylvania last month became the 19th state — and the last in the Northeast — to legalize same-sex weddings. This week, Seattle, Wash., was voted the most gay-friendly city in America.
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