Why DADT Repeal is More Popular Than Marriage Equality

The repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" and marriage equality, on the surface, are similar policy issues. Both deal with equal rights for gays and lesbians. Both sharply divide liberal and conservative activists and politicians; the same lobbyist groups and think tanks tend to study and push the two issues in tandem.

But when it comes to public opinion, you have two very different issues: support for the repeal of DADT has skyrocketed in the last two decades, while support for marriage equality is stagnant.

Three quarters of Americans support the service of openly gay Americans, up from 62 percent in early 2001 and 44 percent in 1993, according to ABC/Washington Post polls. There has been a dramatic shift particularly among conservatives: a May 2009 Gallup poll shows their support for repealing DADT has jumped from 46 to 58 percent in just the past five years. The issue has momentum at the federal level: Obama brought up DADT in his State of the Union address, and the Senate has followed up on the issue with hearings in the Armed Services Committee.

Full Story from Newsweek
Click here for gay marriage resources.
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Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.com Analyzes Maine Gay Marriage Polls

Here are the results of the four recent -- and somewhat contradictory -- polls on Maine's Question 1, which seeks to overturn the state legislature's decision to provide for same-sex marriage in the state. Pick your poison. The Democracy Corps poll is of registered voters (bad); the other three are of likely voters (good, usually). The PPP poll has the largest sample (good), and the Pan Atlantic Poll has the smallest sample (bad). The PPP poll is the most recent (good) -- although the poll showing the worst result for gay marriage, from Research 2000, is the least recent. Pan Atlantic is a Maine-based pollster (good); the other three are national pollsters (bad). The PPP poll is an automated poll -- which Tom Jensen thinks might be preferable in this instance -- whereas the other three use traditional telephone methods. Full Story from FiveThirtyEight.com: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/10/turnout-is-maine-issue.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in Maine.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook - just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you'll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We're also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.