Hostility to gays declines a little

The Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C., has tracked a significant downtick in anti-gay sentiment, although a majority of Americans still oppose the notion of gay marriage.

The latest poll, based on interviews with 1,405 adults contacted March 8-12, found that 51 percent oppose legalization of same-sex marriage while 39 percent opposed it. Two years ago, when many Amerians were shocked by news footage of gay marriages in San Francisco and parts of New England, the mood was 63 percent opposed and 30 percent in favor of legally recognized gay unions.

Our own data at the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University suggests the amount of opposition is impacted by the words used to describe a gay union. When asked in 2003 if gays should be "allowed to marry a partner of the same sex" we found 52 percent were opposed and 27 percent were in favor. But when asked of gays should be allowed "to legally form civil unions" the numbers level out to 44 percent opposed and 36 percent in favor.

As public acceptance of homosexuality increases (as it has in the last 20 years), gays may be able to win greater legal recognition for their partnerships. But the issue may come down to whether they are married to the phrase "marriage."