Election shows country is changing, gay marriage advocates say

Same-sex marriage advocates are reveling in their four victories at the ballot box after 32 straight defeats, calling the results in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington on Tuesday a sea change for the gay rights movement.

“When the history books are written, 2012 will be remembered as the year when LGBT Americans won decisively at the ballot box,” said Chad Griffin, head of Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group. “The dreams of millions of fair-minded Americans were realized as discrimination crumbled and equality prevailed.”

The reelection of President Obama, who said he supported gay marriage in May, and the election of Tammy Baldwin, who will be the first openly gay U.S. senator, further buoyed their hopes that the country is changing.

“It’s hard not to say that this was a huge turning point, a tipping point kind of a year,” said Matt McTighe, campaign manager of Mainers United for Marriage. Maine’s initiative asked voters if the state should be allowed to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples; “yes” on Question 1 won 53% to 47%. Maine had voted down gay marriage by the same margin in 2009.

Read more at the link: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-gay-marriage-election-2012-20121107,0,795542.story