Coming out truly does have power and it’s getting stronger than ever.
According to a poll that was released on Wednesday, a majority of Americans say they have a close family member or friend who is gay, which is a shift from the 1990s that analysts say helps explain the rapidly changing attitudes toward marriage equality.
According to the CNN/ORC International survey, the number of Americans who say someone close to them is gay stands at 60% today, compared to 49% back in 2010, the first time in CNN polling that a majority of Americans have expressed that. Most Americans in the 1990s said that they did not have a close relationship with a gay person. Now it’s looks like things are changing here in the decade.
Also found in the poll is that 54% of Americans say that same-sex marriages should be recognized by the law, with 42% opposed. Four years ago, the poll found that support for marriage equality stood at 44% in favor, with 53% opposed. Those numbers track other recent national polls, and likewise show that support breaks down sharply by political affiliation and age.
The power of coming out is changing the world now.
