In a 5-4 decision handed down on Friday morning, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution makes same-sex marriage a right in the United States. “The decision, the culmination of decades of litigation and activism,” the New York Times‘ Supreme Court reporter, Adam Liptak, wrote, “came against the backdrop of fast-moving changes in public opinion, with polls indicating that most Americans now approve of same-sex marriage.”
That’s certainly backed up by some of our own work on the subject here at Pacific Standard, where we wrote late last year about how politicians and legislatures have been closely following public opinion on this issue for years.
“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family,” Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. “In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.” Kennedy was joined in his decision by the four more liberal justices.
PACIFIC STANDARD COVERAGE OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Viewing God as Masculine Impacts One’s View of Gay Marriage
A new study finds thinking of God as a “he” has wide implications.
November 13, 2014
What Same-Sex Marriage Means for the Future of Recreational Weed
A data scientist’s mathematical models predict a national rise of bong smoke.
October 27, 2014
Homophobia Is Not a Thing of the Past
Despite growing support for LGBT rights and recent decisions from the Supreme Court regarding the legality of same-sex marriage, the battle for acceptance has not yet been decided.
October 20, 2014
Negative Stereotypes Drive Opposition to Gay Rights
New research suggests prejudiced beliefs regarding homosexuals’ moral behavior leads people to oppose gay-rights legislation.
February 11, 2014
Americans Underestimate How Many Other Americans Support Same-Sex Marriage
And conservatives are especially far off.
September 12, 2013
Gay Marriage? A Country Is Moving, a People Not So Much
Comparing a multi-year study of attitudes with other surveys suggests that America’s growing acceptance of gay marriage does not necessarily mean that individual feelings have shifted.
July 1, 2013
Once and For All: Gay Marriage Is Not Bad for Kids
This morning’s landmark Supreme Court decisions put an end to a flawed argument DOMA supporters have been making for 16 years.
June 26, 2013
Supreme Court Decisions in Favor of Gay Marriage Would Not Go ‘Too Far, Too Fast’
Research in political science provides strong reasons to suspect that the Supreme Court may lead public opinion over the long-run.
June 20, 2013
Guess What? Traditional Marriage Doesn’t Exist
Worried about the government accepting gay marriages? It only pretty recently started accepting straight ones.
June 18, 2013
News Outlets Show Significant Bias in Favor of Same-Sex Marriage
The public is in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, but not by a margin of five to one, which is how a new Pew study weighs coverage during Supreme Court hearings for two landmark cases.
June 17, 2013
Expect Gay Marriages in the Courthouse, Not the Statehouse
In Europe and most of the rest of the world, gay marriage arrives via legislatures, not courts. But the U.S. is different, as always.
March 29, 2013
Transgender Issues Hidden in Same-Sex Marriage Debate
The culture war over same-sex marriage in the United States ignores people whose gender has changed or is less than black-and-white.
July 24, 2011
