Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry

I personally do not consider myself a conservative, but neither do I consider myself a liberal.  I am that seemingly rare breed known as a moderate.  I consider myself a Democrat, though I do not agree with all of their rhetoric, nor do I agree with much of the Republican rhetoric.  Most of the tim,e and increasingly more and more, I do not feel as if I fit into any political parties philosophy.  I tend to weigh the issues carefully and not follow blindly with a political ideology.

That being said, a friend and reader of my blog asked if I would publish a post about Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry.  He said that he was "both ashamed by the general trend of the Republican party and annoyed at the blind hatred that pro-Equality people seem to have for the GOP." Like many gay, and an increasing number of young, conservatives, he can't understand how Republicans can reconcile small, non-intrusive government with policies that make life difficult for gay people, and I have to agree with him.

By American standards, freedom and family are core conservative values. Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry is a new campaign by Freedom to Marry to highlight and build support for the freedom to marry among young people across America who identify as conservative.

Support for the freedom to marry is accelerating at historically dramatic rates among every group in America – including conservatives. Leading the way for conservatives are young conservatives, who believe all Americans should be able to share in the freedom to marry.

Jan van Lohuizen Memo making recommendations on supporting same sex marriage:

“People who believe in equality under the law as a fundamental principle, as I do, will agree that this principle extends to gay and lesbian couples; gay and lesbian couples should not face discrimination and their relationship should be protected under the law. People who disagree on the fundamental nature of marriage can agree, at the same time, that gays and lesbians should receive essential rights and protections such as hospital visitation, adoption rights, and health and death benefits.”  

Public Religion Research Institute Survey “Generations at Odds: The Millennial Generation and the Future of Gay and Lesbian Rights”

Nearly half (49%) of Republican Millennials favor allowing gay and lesbian people to marry, compared to only 19% of Republican seniors and less than one-third (31%) of all Republicans.

Gallup Poll from 2011 shows that a majority of Americans favor legal gay marriage:

70% of adults ages 18-34 believe that same sex marriage should be legal, 16% higher than in 2010

CBS News Poll from May 2012

Of all the 18- to 44-year-olds who participated in the poll, 53 percent said same-sex couples should be granted full marriage rights. 

Washington Post Poll from June 2012

Among Republicans ages 18 to 44, the numbers are far different and evolving far more quickly — opinion is currently evenly divided at 46 percent.