This past week, the Supreme Court’s decision to refuse to hear same-sex marriage appeals led to the legalization of same-sex marriage in 11 more states, bringing the total number of states with legalized same-sex marriage to 30.
It’s important to note that the Supreme Court has yet to actually make a national ruling on same-sex marriage, which would be the next major step. But at the rate things are going, it seems likely that same-sex marriage will be legal nationwide within the next 10 to 15 years.
In the past decade there have been multiple events hinting at the rise in acceptance of same-sex marriage and homosexuality as a whole.
One of the first pushes was in 2011 when President Barack Obama repealed “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” a military policy that prohibited openly gay men and women from serving in the military.
President Obama went a step further in 2012 when he became the first U.S. president to voice his support for same-sex marriage. When the president changed his views on marriage equality, the country began to follow suit.
According to a Gallup Poll, the approval rating for same-sex marriage was at 54 percent in 2013, and has been on a steady increase since 1996 when it was at 27 percent.
When looking into America’s past, it’s helpful to compare the fight for same-sex marriage to the fight for interracial marriage equality that took place in the 1960s.
According to another Gallup Poll, only four percent of Americans approved of interracial marriage in 1959. As of 2013, that number has drastically risen to 87 percent.
If you compare the acceptance of same-sex and interracial marriage rates, you can see that same-sex marriage acceptance is on a faster track toward greater nationwide acceptance than interracial marriage was at the time.
Age is another important statistic to consider.
Seventy percent of 18 to 29 year-old Americans support same-sex marriage, whereas only 41 percent of Americans aged 65 and older support it.
Though it may be a bit grim, the fact of the matter is that the older generation will eventually die off and will be replaced by a more inclusive younger generation that is more accepting of homosexuality and marriage equality.
By simply looking at these numbers, it is easy to see that same-sex marriage is on the fast track toward national legalization and acceptance.
Some view same-sex marriage as the civil rights fight of this generation, and 50 years from now, those who opposed same-sex marriage and openly fought against it will likely be seen as the bad guys who were stuck in their old-fashioned ways, much like those who opposed interracial marriage in the ’50s and ’60s.
The question is no longer if same-sex marriage will be legal, but when. And when that time comes, which side of history will you be on? The side that fought for equality or the side that fought against it?
Gabby McDaris is a freshman studying screenwriting. Email her at gm573913@ohio.edu.
