California's Supreme Court has struck down as unconstitutional a ban on same-sex marriage and in a 4-3 ruling, also said the right to raise children within a family does not depend upon sexual orientation. The ruling takes effect in 30 days and has already sparked a wedding announcement by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who plans to marry her longtime partner, actress Portia de Rossi.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has twice vetoed gay marriage bills, says he respects the court's ruling and as governor will uphold its decision. The fight isn't over yet – supporters of a referendum to define marriage as only between opposite sex individuals tell the New York Times they have 1.2 million petition signatures to get the measure on the ballot in November.

Public Agenda analysis of opinion on this subject shows both a desire by many Americans to be fair to those who differ from the majority, and, a lingering unease with homosexuality itself. Six in ten Americans say they oppose gay marriage and just as many say it would go against their religious beliefs. But survey results show a key marker of public uncertainty on an issue: results change when a survey question is worded differently. For example, support for same-sex unions increases when the word "marriage" is not used, with four in ten saying they oppose any legal recognition of gay couples but nearly six in ten saying it is inevitable. Results like these suggest that many Americans are still wrestling with the implications of same-sex marriage.