The New Values Voters: Gay and Transgender IssuesBy Jack Jenkins | October 3, 2012
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/religion/news/2012/10/03/40429/the-new-values-voters-gay-and-transgender-issues/
Rev. Mark Tidd sits in the Highlands Church in Denver, Colorado. His church is an evangelical Christian church guided both by the Apostle's Creed and the belief that gays and lesbians can embrace their sexual orientations as God-given and seek fulfillment in committed same-sex relationships.Despite longstanding attempts by conservatives to use antigay initiatives as a way to energize "values voters," Americans are becoming less opposed to marriage equality and increasingly unlikely to base their vote on antigay and antitransgender measures. In fact, a majority of Americans now support extending the rights and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples.
This majority includes millions of religious people, forcing conservatives to rethink their campaign strategies and pressuring religious institutions and hierarchies to acknowledge changing attitudes in the pews. The 2012 campaign in particular has seen a dramatic switch. Many political leaders are now proudly proclaiming support for marriage equality, while opponents of the freedom to marry are being forced to recognize the shrinking appeal of their claims.
