WASHINGTON, D.C. - It has been 10 years since the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges opened the door for same-sex couples across the US to marry, regardless of what states banned it and what states had already legalized it.

Just days before Pride Month, Gallup released new polling data that found public support for same-sex marriage has generally increased in the last decade, with 68% of US adults saying they believe it should be “recognized by law as valid.”

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This includes 76% of voters who identify as independent of the two major parties.

However, the number is being pulled down by a growing partisan divide on the issue. As support among Democrats has reached a record-high 88%, it has dropped 14 percentage points between May 2022 and May 2025 among Republicans from 55% to 41%.

Gallup reports that this is the largest gap between the parties (47 points) in the nearly 3 decades it has tracked these numbers – and represents another aspect to the tremendous divide that exists between the two parties.

The gap is just as wide when looking at the question of moral acceptability. 86% of Democrats say gay and lesbian relations are morally acceptable, while only 38% of Republicans agree. This is the lowest number among Republicans since 2012.

The media’s narrative will be that Republicans and Democrats have never been more divided on the issue, instead of the fact that 69% of independents (which includes more and more Americans every year) say these relationships are morally acceptable.

In fact, independent sentiment tends to fall closest to general consensus, something former NBC anchor and political commentator Chuck Todd noted as a reason he paid attention to independents when most of his colleagues wouldn’t.

In his words, surveyed independents ended up being "a microcosm of where the story is headed."

Gallup says broad public support masks a growing partisan divide, when it actually tends to be the opposite. How often do we hear in the news that Americans have never been more divided on x, y, and z, when a closer look shows that most voters agree on several issues.

Because what the media is really looking at are the divides between Republicans and Democrats -- who do not represent the opinions of most US adults.

If it is not on specific policy proposals, most Americans can agree on a foundational starting point on which common ground can be found. In fact, the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation and Voice of the People identified over 200 policy positions supported by broad public majorities.

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People don’t hear about these things because the narrative is controlled by people who operate under a system designed to benefit two private political parties and frames all discussions in “us versus them” terms.

There is no question that the divide that separates the Republican and Democratic Parties continues to widen, evidenced by the sudden polling shift on same-sex marriage. One side entrenches themselves on a position while the other responds with opposition.

The mindset is if one side supports or opposes something, their positions must be bad -- or even evil.

But half of America’s eligible voting population identifies as independent, and most voters (even party members) say they are dissatisfied with the two major parties. Thus, partisan divides on the surface do not equate to or reflect overall public sentiment.

It shows just how far removed the nation’s politics are from the opinions, interests, and needs of the American people. Because at the end of the day, everything has to be a win or lose contest between Republicans and Democrats.