Poll: Majority in California back gay marriage

Majority in California back gay marriageSan Francisco - For the first time, a majority of California voters back same-sex marriage, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The Field Poll found that 51 per of registered voters believe same-sex marriage should be legal in California, compared to 42 per cent who oppose it. Only 28 per cent favored gay marriage in 1977, when the Field Poll first asked that question, said Mark DiCamillo, the poll's director.

"This is a milestone in California," he said. "You can't downplay the importance of a change in an issue we've been tracking for 30 years."

The poll came just weeks after the state Supreme Court overturned a voter initiative from 2000 banning gay marriage, saying that it was a violation of the civil rights of gay couples.

Opponents of gay marriage are planning a new vote in November to introduce a constitutional amendment that would bar same-sex couples from tying the knot. California officials are currently rewording marriage licenses to reflect the Supreme Court's ruling, which takes effect in mid-June.

DiCamillo said the court ruling likely influenced the opinion of many Californians.

"There's a certain validation when the state Supreme Court makes a ruling that you can't discriminate when it comes to marriage," he said. "That may have been enough to move some people who were on the fence about same-sex marriage."

Younger voters and those living in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and other Democratic urban strongholds were the most supportive of same- sex marriage, the poll found, while older voters and those living in the more conservative inland areas were more opposed.

DiCamillo said the biggest change was generational as older voters are replaced by younger voters "very much in favor of same-sex marriage." (dpa)

General: 
Regions: