US supreme court faces key test on gay rights

The issue of same-sex marriage has been front and center in Washington this week.  The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases that could have a profound impact on the legal and political acceptability of gay marriage around the country.

The two Supreme Court cases on gay marriage drew thousands of peaceful demonstrators, many of whom seemed to be aware that history could be in the making.

Dominic Parisi and his husband, Dan Zimmerman, stood on the court steps to show their support for gay marriage. Parisi says the show of support in

front of the court sends a message to government leaders in Washington.
“I see the country going much faster than the court.  But then you can see our sign.  We have been together for 29 years,” he said. “Actually, I’ve been going faster than the court for many years, so I think it’s time for the court to catch up.”

Zimmerman says the push for gay rights in the United States has been a grassroots effort.

“I think basically that the people are going to have to drag the politicians after them.  I am surprised that the country has reached this point, but proud that we have,” he said.

Recent public opinion polls show a dramatic shift on gay marriage over the past several years.

Some recent surveys show support for gay marriage at well beyond 50 percent.

Quinnipiac pollster Peter Brown sees parallels with the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

“We are in the midst of a change in attitudes towards gay rights in this country not dissimilar to the change that occurred in the 1960s toward African Americans,” he said.

But even with the shift in public opinion, significant numbers of Americans remain resistant to the idea of same-sex marriage.

That reluctance was on display during the recent Supreme Court arguments over California’s ban on gay marriage, known as Proposition 8.