For twenty years the anti-marriage equality side has used the rhetoric of majoritarianism
You know the mantra: a majority is against gay marriage so therefore that must be the right position and that should be the policy. Let the people decide blah blah blah. This is supposed to shut down all discussion on the topic.
Careful what you wish for because that line of argument may no longer applicable to their side (except in the most Blood Red states). Even in North Carolina, a southern state, I think its fair to say that this measure passing with 61% is likely a lower number than we would have seen 8 years ago, when even Oregon passed a same sex marriage ban.
And now we have gay activists in Maine taking the initiative to take the gay marriage issue to the voters: a tactic that has been the approach of the other side for over a decade. I predict we will see more of that in more states from our side as public opinion inevitably moves in our direction and more angry old bigots die off.
3-4 years from now nobody will even try to contest the notion that a majority of Americans favor marriage equality. So how will the other side respond? What will their mantra be?: "But, but these are my deeply held faith convictions! You have to respect my religious convictions!!! We are in the minority and have to be protected from the mean old gay loving majority!"
Just watch.
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Compared to other states in the southeast, with North Carolina's ban obviously being the most recent (I'm unsure why Arkansas and Georgia are in the graph twice):
I also suspect you're right in your prediction of the upcoming change in the anti-equality side's mantra. Marriage equality for gays and lesbians is something that their side will never stop fighting against, and since they're already in the business of shifting goalposts, why not keep doing the same once they are firmly in the minority? These people may be bigoted but they're not dumb -- they can read charts and judge trends as well as anyone else. They know public opinion is permanently shifting away from their point of view, and they are doubtlessly planning their next talking points in advance. Disgusting.
