Today's decision settles the issue in some states, but it has not ended the battle over same-sex marriage.
A new survey of American religious congregations finds that in recent years, more churches have become welcoming to openly gay and lesbian couples.
Nearly three-quarters of Americans now think religion is losing influence in American life, and most who say this also see it as a bad thing. Perhaps as a consequence, a growing share of the public wants religion to play a role in U.S. politics.
The Census Bureau last week released a new estimate of the number of U.S. same-sex married couples that is 38% higher than the bureau’s 2012 estimate, but agency officials note that the estimates are likely inaccurate.
Census Bureau officials and other experts do not expect counting same-sex spouses along with all other married couples to make a big impact on overall statistics for married couples. But if the number of same-sex married couples continues to rise, that could change.
It has happened in four states so far, and may well happen in others – a kind of marital limbo where licenses have been granted and vows exchanged, but the marriages themselves have not been officially recognized.
Opposition to same-sex marriage is now more concentrated among a few religious groups – particularly white evangelical Protestants.
Southern Baptists are trying to navigate the rapidly shifting landscape of same-sex marriage and homosexuality.
The new approach reflects the bureau's evolving policy on reporting household relationships, as it tries to keep pace with social change.
Same-sex marriage is now legal in Washington, D.C., and 17 states (and Arkansas will join them, if a lower-court judge’s ruling last week is upheld). Now the federal government’s task is to produce an accurate count of same-sex married couples.
