# New poll:  Majority of Americans support legalising gay marriage

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-poll-majority-of-americans-support-legalising-gay-marriage/582736>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [May 22, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-poll-majority-of-americans-support-legalising-gay-marriage/582736 "2011-05-22T01:19:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 11

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**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-poll-majority-of-americans-support-legalising-gay-marriage/582736/201 "2011-06-04T21:53:29Z")

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> [@waterj2](#):
>
> Where does that 15% figure come from? Even among likely Texas voters, that seems incredibly low. I’d say it’s got to be easily in the range of 30%.
> 
> It looks like Minnesota will be putting a Constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2012. We’ve certainly got a good chance to win this one. California could put Prop 8 repeal on the ballot in 2012 as well, and it would have a decent chance of passage. I think the Mormon Church was actually taken aback by the negative reaction they got over bankrolling a huge part of the campaign last time, and won’t be as much of a factor this time. I think a couple ballot victories will really get some momentum building.

I was just throwing 15 per cent out there. “Of the 60 per cent that vote, 15 support same sex marriage” just as a hypothetical.

I hope the passage of Prop 8 was due to people being lazy in voting and they fix it the second time around. I doubt the Mormon church really cares, though, what people think of them.

Minnesota - hope so!!

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**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-poll-majority-of-americans-support-legalising-gay-marriage/582736/202 "2011-06-05T14:03:39Z")

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> [@waterj2](#):
>
> Well, anybody can file whatever foolish lawsuit they want. But churches already have all sorts of requirements that they impose on those wishing to get married. Catholic churches, for example, won’t perform marriages if one partner is divorced (and hasn’t gotten an annulment). In states that have passed legislation to recognize same-sex marriage, the right of churches to refuse has been explicitly mentioned, and perhaps even beefed up beyond the normal right of churches to perform marriages for those they wish. California had same-sex marriage legalized by court order, so there weren’t any special protections for churches. But out of the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed before Prop 8 was enacted, I’m not aware of any that were done by clergy that were unwilling.

My minister does not sign marriage licenses at all, and won’t until gay people can be legally married in our state. Legal authorization to perform marriages is not a legal obligation to do so.

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