The same poll shows that 55% of Virginians believe that gays and lesbians should be allowed to adopt. Current law only allows married couples and single men and women to adopt, but not gay couples or unmarried straight couples.
This is a stunning turn about from 2006, when Virginia's Republicans used Marriage Equality as a wedge issue to rally their conservative base to vote for George Bush. That year, 57% of Virginians voted to amend the state constitution to ban any legal recognition of same-sex relationships.
Meanwhile, up north in liberal New York, where Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo has made passing Marriage Equality legislation a top priority, a recent Marist poll shows that only 46% of New Yorkers support same-sex marriage, while 53% are opposed.
Virginia Governor McDonnell is unphased by the polar shift in the way Virginians feel about Marriage Equality. The Post's Anita Kumar reports:
"The people of Virginia have spoken by a margin of 57-43,’’ McDonnell said during a press conference call from Shanghai — a stop on an 11-day trade mission.
“They’ve already enshrined in the Virginia Constitution that gay marriage is not permitted, so unless there is another effort to change the Constitution, that matter is settled. That is the law of the land and, look, reasonable people can disagree on these things. That’s what the law is now. That’s something that I support. That was the right decision.Gov. McDonnell, are you paying attention at all? The tide has turned in Virginia and the marriage ban will be struck down. You can no longer justify your faith-based bigotry against LGBT Virginians. Your days are numbered. You and bigots like you have no place in the future of Virginia politics and don't even think about any national ambitions. Your outdated, radical views and politics of scapegoating the gays will be your undoing.
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