Likewise, support in the Keystone State for civil unions - allowing gay couples to claim most rights bestowed on married heterosexuals - continued its steady upward climb, from 42 percent in 2004 to 58 percent in 2009 to a solid 62 percent in the latest F&M survey.
Segal, who today is publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News, said he'd forecast several years ago - based on the long-term polling trends - that gay marriage would reach majority support in Pennsylvania as early as 2010, and yesterday he was delighted to see that prediction on the cusp of reality.
"The gay-rights movement is a movement of education," said Segal, and he believes the rise in support is an indication that most Americans now view the issue as one of equality - similar to successful civil-rights crusades for minorities and women.
Experts agree that the key to the changeover has been young people.
Pennsylvania's older population has always been a major reason for lagging behind neighboring states such as New York, New Jersey and Delaware - but even old states get younger over time.
Senior citizens grew up in a time when homosexuality was still taboo and the vast majority of gays kept their lifestyle in the closet, while most people under 30 have grown up in an environment in which gay people are open and better accepted.
"They accept things that older generations won't accept," G. Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin & Marshall Poll, said of the generational shift. "In 30 years, this won't be an issue. They won't care about it."
State Sen. Daylin Leach, a Montgomery County Democrat and a leading advocate in Harrisburg for legalizing gay marriage in Pennsylvania, put it even more bluntly.
