Family Life

01.28.11 | Sarah Harnisch

A new Quinnipiac poll shows more than half of New Yorkers support legalizing homosexual marriage. It's almost a complete reversal from 2004, when 55 percent opposed the legalization. Why the shift in opinion? That's a question we asked Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. He answered, "We looked at Proposition 8 in California and there was a ten-point swing there as well. I think what happense is when people get on the phone and they're asked a question or involved in a survey, they're loathed if anyone denies somebody their right, even if it's their moral right. And so when people actually have to go to the voting booth and make a decision on the real issue of marriage, they feel very differently. I also think culture has been desensitizing people as to what it is to be in a homosexual relationship."

Gay marriage enjoys broad support in the State Assembly. The Senate could take it up as early as this spring, and Governor Andrew Cuomo says he will make it law if a bill ever reaches his desk. McGuire predicted, though, it will not make it past the Republican senate. He said, "Politically speaking, that poll still indicates the vast majoirty of Republicans oppose same sex marriage. And with that being said, the Republicans in the state Senate are the ones who will hold up same-sex marriage here in New York."