Title: Same-Sex Marriage and the Separation of Church and State
Headings: Same-Sex Marriage and the Separation of Church and State
Same-Sex Marriage and the Separation of Church and State
Laurie Garnes Follow
Medical Fee Dispute Resolution Officer (Auditor III) at Texas Department of Insurance
Separation of Church and State: Constitutional or Traditional?
Moral Discourse and the Supreme Court
The Case of Same-Sex Marriage
Public Viewpoint
Conclusion
References
Laurie Garnes
Medical Fee Dispute Resolution Officer (Auditor III) at Texas Department of Insurance
Kenneth F. Grimm
Director of Digital Media, San Angelo Standard-Times | USA TODAY NETWORK

Content: The demand of same-sex couples to equal rights in marriage has prompted an upsurge in attention and reflection. Greg Lewis, a public-opinion specialist, notes that there has been a significant increase in the last eight years, in support for same-sex marriage, estimating that there is majority support in sixteen states (Klein, 2012). There have been a number of changes to state constitutions allowing for same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships, although the civil unions and domestic partnerships do not carry the same legal or social benefits of marriage recognition. Thirty-seven states have now legalized same-sex marriage and the bans on same-sex marriage were overturned and are currently being appealed in eight other states (ProCon.org, 2015). In 2012, when this paper was first written, there were only ten states with legal same-sex marriage and ten states allowed same-sex civil unions or domestic partnerships. It is clear that public opinion on this topic is rapidly changing. This trend to positive support appears that it will continue to increase, as support is 69% in favor among adults under age 30 (Ergun, 2012). Much of this shift in public opinion can be attributed to exposure. Seven in ten reported having a friend, family member or acquaintance that is homosexual (Ergun, 2012). As acceptance increases it can only be imagined that this number will increase, which will, in turn increase acceptance.