Same-sex marriage support grows

With the sprouting of a "million signs" in support of the ban against gay marriage around California's front lawns (by mostly religious followers and ativists) supposedly only four days away (they are supposed to be placed on supporters lawns on September 22 according to some reports), I was worried that supporters of same-sex marriage had been complacent.

Good news, however from a Field Poll, released today:

The poll found that just 38 percent of likely voters support the measure, while 55 percent intend to vote no. That compares with 42 percent in support and 51 percent opposed in July. [State Attorney General Jerry] Brown amended the Proposition 8 summary language after the state Supreme Court's decision on May 15 to overturn California's previous ban on same-sex marriage.

The pollsters found the amended language played a role in that growing opposition, especially among the 30 percent of likely voters interviewed who had never heard of Prop. 8. Those voters were much more likely to oppose the measure when read Brown's wording (58 percent against it and 30 percent for it) than those in the same category who were read the old version of Prop. 8 (42 percent against and 37 percent for it), according to the Field Poll. The Brown language reads, in part: "Eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry." The original version read, in part: "Limit on marriage." [SFGate]

That's definitely heartening to know that support for gay marriage is growing, but I still encourage us to not count on the polls and to keep working hard to tell people to Vote No on Proposition 8. We still don't know who will actually turn out and vote on election day and need to keep it in our friends and allies minds. Click here for our earlier write-up of ways to get involved.

In similar news, Brad Pitt just donated $100,000 in support of same sex marriage.

And this is what VP Dick Cheney's wife, Lynn said about their lesbian daughter and the right to marry:
<span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Clip of Lynn Cheney "endorsing" same-sex marriage right embedded on site.</span></span>

To recap (because some of my friends are even still confused):

• A YES vote on Prop 8 is in support of writing a ban on same-sex marriage into CA's constitution
  
• A NO vote on Prop 8 will keep things as they are, and continue to allow the civil right of marriage to all in California