New polls show gay acceptance on the rise

Younger Americans more likely to support same-sex marriage

ELIZABETH PERRY/ Washington Blade

John and Elizabeth Edwards, and their daughter Kate, have differing views on gay marriage. Recent polls indicate that younger Americans are more supportive of gay rights than their parents. (Photo by Kristie Bull/Graylock.com/AP)

A few weeks after John and Elizabeth Edwards made their differing views on gay marriage public, a flurry of polls on gay issues suggests the Edwards family appears to be in step with the rest of America on the debate.

During a June 25 appearance on NBC’s “Tonight Show,” John Edwards told host Jay Leno that he disagrees with his wife on the issue of gay marriage.

“It’s not the only thing we disagree about,” he said. “A lot of people I love and care about feel the same way Elizabeth does. I’m very strong about ending discrimination against gay and lesbian couples. But I’m not quite where Elizabeth is yet.”

Elizabeth Edwards previewed that assessment during a joint interview with her husband on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” last December at the beginning of his campaign. She also said their daughter Kate, a 24-year-old student at Cambridge, has talked with children of Republican and Democratic politicians her age and believes the issue will “disappear with their generation.”

A joint poll conducted June 15-29 by the New York Times, CBS News and MTV examined the attitudes of 659 individuals and put them into two groups, ages 17-29 and older adults. The survey found younger people had more progressive attitudes toward gay marriage and civil unions. Some 290 respondents in the 17-29 age group said gay couples should be allowed to marry, compared to 184 of the older respondents...