Cultural change in acceptance of LGBT people: lessons from social marketing.

We are in a new era in American history. Showing a remarkable shift in attitudes toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, the United States appears to be embracing a new, more inclusive view of family life. With positive action in two landmark Supreme Court cases and a rapidly growing number of state legislatures, the trends are strong toward full legal recognition of marriages of same-sex partners and parenthood by both partners in committed gay couples rearing children. And, the trend is international. Many people are both astonished and cheered by the accelerating pace of change in acceptance of LGBT people. Surveys now show that about 60% of Americans support marriage equality so that gay couples may wed. Less than a decade ago, that proportion of Americans opposed gay weddings. This article looks at what has changed, and why, as well as how social marketing, among other forces, lifted the curtain on these unmistakable trends. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.