With public acceptance of same-sex couples on the rise, Republicans have quietly turned away from the once hot-button subject and toward economic issues, reports Politico. Not that the GOP is pro-gay marriage now—but it's not vehemently pushing to ban it anymore either, with some lawmakers discreetly removing calls for support of "traditional" marriage from many amendments and other legislation passing through the Capitol. Several leading Republicans have openly held fundraisers with the gay GOP group Log Cabin Republicans since 2010. "Twenty years ago they would have thrown us under the bus," says the group's leader.
Support for gay marriage is nearly 70% among 18-to-34-year-olds in the United States, according to one 2011 poll—even among Republicans, support has risen nine percentage points in one recent poll to 31%. “I personally have deep convictions about my children having a financially stable country that they can live in,” Rep. Allen West. "That’s what keeps me up awake at night, not worrying about who’s sleeping with who." (More Log Cabin Republicans stories.)