Changing opinions on same-sex marriage

There has been a significant push among Democrats to solidify senatorial support for gay marriage during the past few weeks.

There’s been an avalanche of Democratic senators coming out in support for gay marriage, including senators from more conservative areas of the country, such as senators Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Bill Nelson of Florida.

This group was recently joined by Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., who won his seat five months ago against his controversial Republican competitor, Richard Mourdock.

Supporting same-sex marriage equality isn’t an entirely unprecedented move from Donnelly. In 2010, he voted to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” along with the majority of House Democrats.

The Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group, estimates that during his six-year House stint, Donnelly supported its interests approximately 30 percent of the time.

As for the people in the state he represents, Indiana is currently split on whether same-sex marriages should be made legal.

The Indiana General Assembly approved an amendment to ban same-sex marriage but postponed putting the amendment before voters because of pending Supreme Court cases.  

It’s clear that some conservative Hoosiers feel betrayed by Donnelly’s switch, arguing that the senator was not sincere during the recent election or that his switch was motivated by political expediency.  

It’s hard to tell how legitimate their complaints may be. Donnelly’s announcement was relatively quiet in that it followed the general trend of senators newly coming out for same-sex marriage.

He announced on his Facebook page that, given recent Supreme Court arguments and increased public discussion, he has realized he must support equality for all Americans.

This recent surge in support for gay marriage clearly is a larger issue than Donnelly or Indiana. Many pivotal politicians have changed their minds on this issue, including President Barack Obama, former president Bill Clinton and former vice president Dick Cheney, but the recent surge has been unique.

Part of this is due to the general public’s growing support for same-sex marriage. However, while public support for same-sex marriage has grown steadily through the years, senatorial support has grown in more confounding leaps and bounds. Some of it may be partly explained by a rush of momentum. Senators may grow with each other or learn from the positive responses their peers receive on coming out.  

There are then some senators who simply have new reflections, who undergo unique personal experiences that cause them to change their viewpoint.

It does raise the interesting point of how and to what extent political figures are allowed to change their mind. I often hear average citizens talking about the need for open-mindedness and flexibility, but it’s inevitable that the consistent, fixed politician receives praise more than the flip-flopper.

For average voters, it’s hard to assess whether a shift in political thinking reveals a weak or manipulating personality or a genuine conversion.

It often depends on the agility of the individual or the friendliness of the political climate.

While flip-flopping is obviously disappointing, a philosophical conversion (and, given the singularity and relevancy of the issue, I tend to put a change of mind on same-sex marriage more in the latter category than the first) is a change that can be respected.

Regardless, I personally celebrate Donnelly’s switch. Nate Silver of the New York Times has predicted that by 2020, gay marriage will be at majority support.

Although gay marriage has not yet won its legal battle, it has accomplished the all-important task of gaining public support. Senators feel the shift in public tolerance, and they don’t want to be on the wrong side of history.

The rise in public senatorial endorsements will likely slow once same-sex marriage has become the clear majority stance. But this represents a key time for politicians to switch their position on same-sex marriage, no matter what their personal reasons may be.

In the coming year, it will be interesting to see how the last few Democratic holdouts or their Republican counterparts take advantage of the changing political scenery.

­— gwinslow@indiana.edu