by Rex Wockner
U.S. NEWS
Another national poll has found that a majority of Americans now support same-sex marriage.
The Washington Post-ABC News poll, released March 18, found that when asked, "Do you think it should be illegal or legal for gay and lesbian couples to get married?" 53 percent of adults said "legal" and 44 percent said "illegal."
The random telephone poll quizzed 1,005 people and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Recent CNN and AP polls also found majority support for same-sex marriage.
"Americans have been on a journey of understanding, living up to the American value of treating others as we would all want to be treated, and staying true to our nation's history of upholding the American promise of equality under the law," said Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry. "When the so-called Defense of Marriage Act was stampeded through in 1996, only 26 percent of Americans supported the freedom to marry. In the 15 years since, that support has more than doubled."
Chad Griffin, board president of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, said: "The trend captured by today's Washington Post-ABC News poll – and a variety of other surveys – is indisputable. The more Americans talk about this issue with one another, the more they come to embrace the idea that all citizens deserve equal rights, including the freedom to marry. As AFER has witnessed in its case to overturn Prop 8, people from all political persuasions and walks of life believe that adults in committed, loving relationships should be able to live their lives free from the government's interference."
