What a difference a decade makes! Ten years ago when Massachusetts became the first state to allow same-sex marriage, there were predictions of the end of the world, 11 states passed bans on same-sex marriage –that are now being struck down as unconstitutional–and the fervor swayed a presidential election. So what changed?
Kevin Eckstrom of RNS lists five reasons why marriage equality is winning.
The issue is far from settled — and some conservatives insist that it never will be — but pro-gay groups clearly have the momentum. Here’s why:
1. Rapid cultural shifts
The culture changed faster than conservatives thought possible. Led by the popular gay characters on “Will & Grace” and “Glee,” gays and lesbians are more visible in public life, and Americans are growing increasingly comfortable with that. A generation ago, coming out as gay was a career-killer; now it’s almost trendy.
Within religion, the 2003 election of openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson dramatically shifted the conversation about gays in leadership, and Presbyterians and Lutherans voted to allow gay clergy with barely a shrug. The wildly popular Pope Francis changed the tenor of the discussion by famously asking “Who am I to judge?” as his church struggles to reclaim its moral credibility on sexual ethics in the wake of the clergy abuse scandal.
Read the rest here.