For the first time ever, a majority of Americans appear to favor legal recognition of gay marriage. Four credible polls in the last several months have shown a majority of Americans in favor of gay marriage, suggesting a remarkably rapid shift on the issue over the past several years. As recently as the last presidential election, opponents of gay marriage outnumbered supporters by about 15%. For the past twenty years, support for gay marriage has gained approximately 2% a year (with a corresponding decline in opposition) but that change has accelerated to about 4% a year in the last two years.