Reply #5: I'm not that surprised

[union_maid]

On social issues, the march really has been just one way. Not so on economic issues or foreign policy, but on social issues, liberals really never lost ground. There sometimes is a weird disconnect, however, between how people vote, how they think and how they feel. Gay marriage might take longer than one would hope. That's very sad for couples for whom it might come just too late.

If you've been fighting for gay rights for the last thirty years, progress must seem painfully slow. But to the general public, it's a much newer issue, outside of maybe the most basic protections regarding employment or fair housing. Public acceptance and the rights that follow are happening inevitably. And that's why there's backlash. As you noted, reaction to change is a sign that change is happening. All it really took was almost everyone coming out. Everyone knows someone who's gay. Most people are probably related to someone who's gay. Most people care about someone who's gay. Thing is, even as recently as a decade ago, most people didn't know it.