From San Francisco's rally last night.

As the Supreme Court hears oral arguments today on California’s Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage, a new SurveyUSA poll shows that 67 percent of Californians believe same-sex couples deserve the legal benefits of marriage. Only 30 percent believe those benefits should be limited to “a man and a woman.”

Conservatives have argued that if the Court rules against Prop 8, it will somehow invalidate the will of the voters who supported the ballot initiative. Not only do voters not have the power to undermine the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, but it’s clear that the anti-gay animus that motivated Prop 8′s passage no longer represents the majority of California values.

Further proof of this today comes from 25 California mayors, who have urged the Supreme Court to rule Prop 8 unconstitutional. Thousands also rallied Monday night in San Francisco showing their support for marriage equality. Here’s a video of some scenes from the march and rally:

A new Saperstein Poll for the Columbus Dispatch shows that a majority of Ohio voters support a proposed constitutional amendment to repeal the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Though 62 percent voted for the 2004 ban, 54 percent now say they’re ready to repeal it. Only 40 percent oppose the proposal.

These results come just as numerous Ohio lawmakers have spoken out on the issue. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) expressed his support for marriage equality two weeks ago, explaining that he came to support the issue after his son came out to him. In response, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) countered that even having a gay son would not change his opposition to same-sex marriage. Last Thursday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) briefly offered his support for civil unions before his office walked back the statement.

An October poll similarly found that 52 percent of Ohio voters support marriage equality. According to the crosstabs, support was highest among women, young people, and independents:

Earlier this week, an ABC News/Washington Post poll found one of the highest levels of support for marriage equality, with 58 percent of voters endorsing same-sex marriage. Two more polls this week have found similar — though not quite as high — results.

A CNN/ORC International poll found that 53 percent support same-sex marriage with 44 percent opposed, a slight dip from last May’s 54-42 result in the wake of President Obama’s endorsement. As other polls have found, young people (71 percent for those 18-34), women (56 percent vs. 49 percent of men), and those who attended college (59 percent vs. 44 percent of those who didn’t) are more likely to support equality. Both Democrats (70 percent) and Independents (55 percent) side with equality more than average.

Similarly, a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between January 1 and March 14 found similar results, though it fell into the trap of asking about civil unions without forcing respondents to choose between same-sex marriage and nothing. As a result, it found 63 percent support marriage or civil unions, with 41 percent favoring full marriage equality. Only a quarter of respondents opposed any form of relationship recognition, though opposition was stronger in regions like the South and lowest in the Northeast. The poll does note that support for marriage is surpassing support for civil unions.

Whatever arguments the Supreme Court considers next week, any claim the opponents of marriage equality make about having a majority of Americans on their side would be an outright lie.

A remarkable new national poll from ABC News and the Washington Post has found that 58 percent of Americans now support marriage equality for same-sex couples, while only 36 remain opposed. This a 45-point shift toward equality since 2004, when opponents significantly outnumbered supporters 66-32. Support continues to be highest among young people (81 percent of adults under 30), Democrats (72 percent), and non-evangelical Christians (70 percent of non-evangelical white Protestants and 59 percent of Catholics). Still, support has risen among all groups. Notably support among people of color (61 percent) was higher than among whites (57 percent), again disproving conservatives’ attempts to drive a racial wedge on the issue of same-sex marriage.

Unsurprisingly, voters’ understanding of homosexuality has improved at a very similar rate to their support for marriage equality. Only 24 percent still believe that being gay is “something that people choose,” but that includes 45 percent of white evangelical Protestants. In contrast, 62 percent believe it’s “just the way they are,” and 73 percent of that group support marriage equality.

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A new Public Policy Polling poll shows overwhelming support for legally recognizing same-sex couples in Pennsylvania. Three quarters (74 percent) of Pennsylvania voters support either same-sex marriage or civil unions, including 68 percent of Republicans. Only 24 percent oppose any sort of legal recognition. On marriage itself, though, voters are more divided, with 45 percent in support and 47 percent opposed. Still, that’s a 14 percent increase since November 2011 when support was only 36-52. Though Pennsylvania law prohibits same-sex marriage, attempts to ban it through a constitutional amendment have repeatedly failed in the legislature.

A new analysis of exit polls conducted by pollsters representing both political parties found that opposition to marriage equality is concentrated in a few specific population groups: voters over the age of 65, white evangelical Christians, and white voters who do not have a college degree. African American voters who identify as evangelicals were pretty closely split on the question, but all other groups were quite supportive. Here’s a breakdown of how the opposition compares with other groups:

• Voters over age 65 oppose same-sex marriage 58-37.
  • Voters under 65 favor marriage equality 52-44.
• White evangelical Christians oppose same-sex marriage by nearly 3 to 1.
  • African-American evangelical Christians narrowly oppose marriage equality 47-45.
  • All non-evangelicals, including other white Protestants, white Catholics, Hispanic Catholics, African American non-evangelicals and Jewish voters, support marriage equality by double-digit margins.
• White voters who do not have a college degree oppose marriage equality 56-40.
  • Non-white voters without a college degree support marriage equality 54-38.
  • White college graduates support marriage equality 56-41.
  • Non-white college graduates support marriage equality 58-35.

It’s thus unsurprising that legislators who support marriage equality are not likely to endanger their re-election prospects by doing so, as the voters who might punish them for their vote are isolated to these three pockets. This also demonstrates how ineffective the National Organization for Marriage’s efforts to drive a wedge between racial groups have been. Polling has consistently shown that nationwide support for marriage equality continues to grow, and these new data confirm that the freedom to marry is embraced quite widely.

A new poll from Middle Tennessee State University shows that a solid 62 percent of Tennesseans oppose marriage equality, while only 28 percent in favor. This opposition is significantly higher than is often found across several southern states. Nevertheless, 57 percent also oppose the odious “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits schools from discussing sexual orientation until after 8th grade — which includes related anti-bullying efforts — and only 31 percent support it. Additionally, 49 percent oppose the bill’s new provision requiring school officials to notify parents of students’ sexuality, while only 33 percent such a provision. Interestingly a position on marriage was not necessarily predictive of a position on the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.

It seems clear that Tennessee is a particularly toxic place for LGBT people, but even so, even Tennesseans realize that the outright censorship of homosexuality and violation of young people’s privacy are wrong.

A new poll from Brown University shows that 60 percent of Rhode Island voters support marriage equality, while only 26 percent oppose it. This is up from the already strong 57 percent found in a poll last month. The Rhode Island House has already passed a bill to allow same-sex marriage, but a contentious vote still awaits in the Senate.

It’s unclear what reason the Senate has to oppose the bill. Not only does a majority support equality, but they’ve also shown their willingness to elect an openly House Speaker (Rep. Gordon Fox (D)) and an openly gay mayor of the capital, who they then promoted to Congress (Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI)). Further, the state already recognizes the same-sex marriages performed in all the surrounding states. It’s time for the law to catch up with reality.

Today is the deadline for submitting amicus (friend of the court) briefs in the Supreme Court case challenging California’s Proposition 8, and a new poll suggests California is more ready than ever to embrace marriage equality. According to Field Poll, 61 percent of California voters support marriage equality, while only 32 percent oppose. Women, young people, and Catholics continue to be the most supportive, while Republicans are still largely opposed. Nevertheless, just since 2010, favor among Republicans has grown from 26 percent to 39 percent. The chart below from the Sacramento Bee shows the full results: