When Fox News reports that there is increased support for gay marriage, which it did on March 21, 2013, that is news in itself. Fox News is a bastion of conservative thinking and a favorite of Tea Party members and fundamentalist Christians.
It appears that the tide is flowing towards a potential repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in the coming months. You can see the full discussion at http://www.foxnews.com/politics/interactive/2013/03/21/fox-news-poll-many-more-favor-gay-marriage-up-from-2003/.
Spiritualists support same-sex or heterosexual marriage as part of the principle that each person makes their own happiness or unhappiness as they obey natural, physical and spiritual laws.
The other principle that applies is the Golden Rule, which is also incorporated in our Declaration of Principles. Spiritualists hold to the idea that a relationship in which all that are involved show love and mutual respect is the test for a successful marriage, and that sexual orientation or practices are not the major issue.
According to the Fox News poll, the breakdowns of those supporting or opposing same-sex marriage are as follows:
Those most likely to favor legalizing gay marriage include those who never attend church (76 percent), liberals (72 percent), voters ages 30 and younger (65 percent), and Democrats (65 percent).
Groups most likely to oppose it include “very” conservatives (82 percent), Tea Partiers (sic) (75 percent), white evangelical Christians (70 percent) and Republicans (64 percent).
There may be some overlap among those never attending church, liberals and Democrats. Spiritualists didn't get any mention. Spiritualists are mixed in with some of all of the above.
While Republicans appeared to ignore pragmatism in the 2012 elections, there appears to be a reappraisal regarding the desirability of increasing support for same-sex marriages as a way to gain wider acceptance in the overall population.
Senator Rob Portman appears to have made a sincere change in his viewpoint after his son, Will, revealed that he is a homosexual. Waiting for two years to announce his change indicates that Senator Portman made some political calculations before making his announcement.
If there are more liberal Republicans than members of the Tea Party, this decision may yield positive results for Senator Portman and the gay marriage supporters.
The US Supreme Court will be reviewing two legal decisions in the next several days that are directly related to same-sex marriage in California and the legality of DOMA, which made same-sex marriage a federal issue. It is difficult to determine whether the results of the Fox News survey will have any influence in the US Supreme Court.
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