Gay Rights Gaining Traction

New survey shows most Southerners support same-sex marriage

gay marriage two ladies cake toppers and two men cake toppers

Gay marriage is gaining traction across the U.S., even in traditionally conservative Southern states.

According to a new poll, 50 percent of Southerners support same-sex marriage. Nationwide, gay marriage has a 59 percent acceptance rate. The Washington Post survey comes on the heels of a new public education campaign targeting Southern states.

Launched in February, Southerners for the Freedom to Marry has $1 million budget to grow support for gay marriage in states such as Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia and Oklahoma. Co-chairs include Texan Mark McKinnon, a former advisor to President George W. Bush.

"Southerners are increasingly on a journey in support of the freedom to marry," said Marc Solomon, national campaign director for Freedom to Marry, in a statement. "At its core, marriage is about love and family — deeply ingrained Southern values."

In addition to majority support for gay marriage, 71 percent of Southern survey respondents said that gay people are just as capable of being good parents as straight people, and 78 percent think businesses should not be allowed to refuse service on the basis of sexual orientation.

Southerners are split about whether or not the U.S. Constitution provides equal protection under the law for gay Americans: 46 percent believe it does, while 45 percent of Southerners say it does not.

"Religious freedom is protected — no church has to marry anyone they don’t want to," Solomon said. "Allowing same-sex couples to share in the freedom to marry the person they love is the right thing to do on moral and constitutional grounds."

A federal judge in San Antonio recently overturned a 2005 amendment banning gay marriage in Texas. Judge Orlando Garcia joins a growing number of federal judges in states like Utah, Ohio, Oklahoma, Kentucky and, more recently, Virginia who have declared bans on gay marriage are in violation of the United States Constitution.

Currently, gay marriage is legal in 17 states.

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

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Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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