Make all of the legal arguments you'd like, but LGBT activists on the ground in gay Atlanta point to something else to demonstrate that Georgia is ready for gay marriage: public opinion.
“Like every other state in the country, Georgia has seen a tremendous growth in support for the freedom to marry over the last few years and support for the freedom to marry is now at an all-time high,” Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, said Tuesday as the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in gay marriage cases from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.
“We hope the Supreme Court does the right thing and agrees with the growing majority of Americans and the more than 60 federal and state courts that have held marriage discrimination unconstitutional. Georgia is ready for the freedom to marry,” he added.
How ready? Graham points to two polls:
- 61% of Americans support the freedom to marry, according to a Washington Post/ABC poll released last week.
- In Georgia, supporters of same-sex marriage outnumbered opponents, 48 percent to 43 percent, according to a 2013 Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll.
Not that Graham and Georgia Equality are sitting idly by and waiting for public opinion to catch up. They've supported a lawsuit challenging Georgia's gay marriage ban, launched a grassroots effort and even rallied for it (photo).
Even the state's gay marriage opponents know it's coming. If you need more convincing still, ask Michael Bowers. Or this Republican. Even the folks already redesigning the state's marriage licenses. Everyone is getting on board.
