American attitudes toward gays in general continue to improve, but not when it comes to marriage, according to the latest polling numbers released by the Human Rights Campaign in a May 8 conference call with reporters. The Senate is scheduled to vote on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage during the first week of June. A majority of voters (53 percent) support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, while a minority (43 percent) opposes it. The findings were gleaned from an in-depth national telephone survey of 802 registered voters conducted April 10-13 by Peter D. Hart Research Associates. ‘We have not seen much of a change in terms of people’s attitudes toward same-sex marriage, or a Federal Marriage Amendment’ over the last two years, said Jay Campbell, who analyzed the polling data. The change that has occurred has been toward the middle, with less opposition to same-sex marriage and an increase in support for civil unions. 63 percent said they had concerns about amending the Constitution, regardless of their position on gay marriage. Furthermore, the amendment ‘is not a priority for any group of voters anywhere in the country.’ Campbell said […]