AILSA CHANG, HOST:
It was 10 years ago today when a Supreme Court decision legalized same-sex marriage across the country. That decision, known as Obergefell vs. Hodges, overturned state bans that were championed by religious conservatives. A decade later, where do faith groups stand now on same-sex marriage? Well, for more on that, I'm joined now in the studio by NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Hi, Jason.
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Hello.
CHANG: OK, so just for context, where were or what were the numbers 10 years ago for and against same-sex marriage?
DEROSE: Well, Ailsa, in 2014, Pew Research released a very large study that found among religiously affiliated U.S. adults, 46% favored same-sex marriage. The number was 44% among those who identified as Christian. And among other religions, there was support from about 4 in 10 Muslims, as well, but very strong support among Jews, Hindus and Buddhists.
CHANG: OK. And how have those numbers changed since Obergefell?
DEROSE: Well, it turns out we have really good data to compare because of another Pew Research study released earlier this year. Overall, support for same-sex marriage has increased significantly. More than two-thirds of all Americans support it, and that increase includes religiously affiliated people, whose support jumped 12 points to 58%. And among all Christians, it's now more than half - 55% - who support same-sex marriage, with Catholics and mainline Protestants most in favor.
CHANG: Well, what about specifically groups that have historically been opposed to LGBTQ rights?
DEROSE: Well, support has even gone up with them, including those who attend historically Black churches, Catholics, Mormons and evangelical Protestants. In fact, Ailsa, it's striking to see that now more than a third of evangelicals support same-sex marriage. And, you know, they were, and in many ways still are, the backbone of opposition.
CHANG: Aren't some evangelical groups still working to overturn Obergefell?
DEROSE: That's right.
CHANG: Yeah.
DEROSE: They're vocal and, in many cases, powerful - for instance, the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant group in the U.S. Just earlier this month, at their annual meeting, they overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for the overturning of same-sex marriage. Here's Brent Leatherwood, who heads the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
BRENT LEATHERWOOD: We're going to be out there talking to individuals, talking to lawmakers, talking to neighbors. We'll be in courthouses, we'll be before Congress, but we will also be speaking to culture.
DEROSE: And keep in mind, Ailsa, powerful people in government are Southern Baptist, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.
CHANG: Right. OK, well, given that support for same-sex marriage seems to be going up even among people of faith, why do you think religious opposition to it is still worth watching?
DEROSE: Well, in part because of what happened with abortion rights. Leatherwood says they're inspired to call for overturning Obergefell in part because of their success in ending Roe vs. Wade.
LEATHERWOOD: As you saw with the overturn of Roe, that took 50 years, so we would have to be patient.
DEROSE: Some also see the Supreme Court's recent decision allowing states to ban gender-affirming care for trans minors as evidence they would have a shot with the Supreme Court. But there are significant obstacles, Ailsa, to overturning Obergefell. First, a law Congress passed in 2022 called the Respect for Marriage Act that would make unwinding it really difficult. And, Ailsa, support for same-sex marriage, as we said, has been increasing quickly and even quickly among people of faith who once opposed it.
CHANG: That is NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Thank you, Jason.
DEROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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