Public support for gay marriage in America has been on the rise since 1996, according to the Pew Research Center.
The Pew Center found 46 percent of Americans approved of gay marriage in 2011, while 45 percent opposed it. Two years prior in 2009, 54 percent opposed gay marriage and 37 percent favored it.
When the Pew Center first conducted the survey in 1996, 65 percent disapproved while 27 supported gay marriage.
Although differences between generations, political parities and races remain, all three demographics show an increase in approval of gay marriage since 1996.
Dana Berkowitz, assistant sociology professor, said the increase can be attributed to the normalization effect, which is when an issue becomes visible in every day life and is thus viewed as normal.
“Gay marriage is not a hot- button issue for young people anymore,” Berkowitz said.
She said gay marriage has increasingly been compared to legalizing interracial marriage.
“The same language used to prohibit interracial marriage is being used to prohibit gay marriage,” Berkowitz said. “In about 20 years, this won’t be an issue anymore.”
Carolyn Lewis, assistant history professor, said society has become more accepting of gay and lesbian people.
“As something becomes less foreign to people, they become more accepting,” Lewis said. “That’s how tolerance builds.”
People have always had long- term relationships with people of the same sex throughout history, Lewis said.
“It’s a logical issue that was bound to come up,” Lewis said.
Lewis said it’s not a “fair assessment” to compare Southern approval rates to Northern rates.
“It is a knee-jerk reaction to say the North is liberal and the South is conservative,” Lewis said. “There is approval and disapproval spread throughout the nation.”
English junior Daniel Bonnett said the government needs to separate church and state.
“We need to stop allowing religion to influence our laws,” Bonnett said. “[Gay individuals] are human beings just like everyone else.”
Tyroneka Fowler, accounting freshman, said the decision is up to the individual.
“You can’t interfere with choice,” Fowler said. “It’s the same as having segregation, which leads to inequality.”
 
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Contact Claire Caillier at [email protected]