A momentous year for gay rights

While Utah may be a bit behind the times when it comes to alcohol regulations, sex education and same-sex marriage, it appears that nationally, gay rights are taking a much stronger hold. A recent comprehensive and nonpartisan poll found that 28 percent of voters listed same-sex marriage as an important campaign issue. It appears that voters are looking instead to the economy and jobs as the salient issues of this year’s election cycle. In contrast, a majority of voters said that was a large concern for them in 2004.

The poll found 85 percent of respondents listed lowering unemployment and working on the economy as the biggest concerns. Another Gallup poll found support for legalizing same-sex marriage hovering around 53 percent. And with the additions of Maryland, Washington and Maine all likely facing a ballot referendum with marriage equality polling ahead of opponents in all three states, 2012 could be a landmark year for gay rights. We’re talking Stonewall Riots huge.

In every vote brought to the people to ask whether or not to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, equality opponents have won. Just three years ago, after Maine’s Legislature voted to pass a marriage-equality bill, opponents took it to the voters where it was defeated handily. But recent polling puts marriage equality support ahead by double digits, in some cases. Minnesota is also poised to become the first state to stop a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

The leading anti-gay organization, the National Organization for Marriage, is on the ropes. Recently leaked documents found that most of their funding comes from just two people and that they are trying to exacerbate tensions between the queer and minority communities. After the documents were leaked, NOM went into damage control and accused Democrats and the Obama administration of a “Watergate” scandal. There’s nothing left for them. They’re losing and they know it.

One of the main arguments made my NOM and other anti-gay groups is that being gay is not an immutable characteristic, and they had a reputable study to back their claims. A peer-reviewed 2001 study released by Dr. Robert Spitzer that said gays could change their orientation, if they wanted to, was frequently cited by NOM and others to say that gays and lesbians did not deserve equal rights because they had a treatable condition. But just last month, Spitzer denounced his own work and said it was not accurate and should not be taken as a real, scientific example.

The Democrats are unbelievably close to adopting support for gay marriage as an official party platform and President Barack Obama has said his views on gay marriage are evolving. Although there might not be much legislative or electoral gains for gay Utahns this year, 2012 is shaping up to be momentous on a national scale.