The Republican Party does not appear to be keeping in step with attitudes of the American public regarding same-sex marriage, CBS News reports.
The Republican National Convention Platform Committee decided to reject an attempt to soften the party's position on the issue. It also continued its stance against transgender bathroom choice.
This rigidity does not reflect the growing acceptance of LGBT rights that most Americans favor. A recent CBS poll showed that 58 percent support the legalization of same-sex marriage, while 33 percent are opposed.
These numbers include 59 percent of independents who want same-sex marriage to be legal, an important sector that Trump needs to attract if he is to win the election.
Even Republicans are less opposed to the idea than they were just eight years ago, with just 52 percent against legalization compared to 60 percent in 2012.
Bloomberg reported that at the GOP platform committee, Rachel Hoff, an openly gay delegate presented an amendment that acknowledged "a diversity of opinion within our party" on same-sex marriage, but only some 20 of the 112 delegates supported it.
Hoff warned that the party should evolve with the times, claiming that the majority of younger GOP voters support same-sex marriage, and that the GOP could lose voters if it doesn't adapt, stressing that "Freedom means freedom for everyone, including gays and lesbians."
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