Support for marriage equality on the rise

>>> republicans are still having a hard time catching up to the changing face of america. and you see that playing out with their struggle over gay rights . support for marriage equality is on the rise. up 13% over the past four years alone. but republicans aren't getting the message. supreme court justice antonin scalia was asked to explain his published comparisons between sodomy and things like bestiality and murder. justice scalia answered quote, if we cannot have moral feelings against homosexuality, can we have it against murder? can we have it against other things? i don't think it's necessary, but i think it's effective. it's effective to compare feelings about homosexuality to murder? that's the moral lesson from a man responsible for upholding the constitution? but not all conservatives are on the same page as scalia. here's what glenn beck had to say about it.

>> let me take the pro- gay marriage people and the religious people. i believe there happens to be a connecting dot there that nobody's looking at, and that is the constitution. the question is not whether gay people should be married or not. the question is why is the government involved in our marriage?

>> suddenly glenn beck is the voice of reason in this gop? it looks like republicans have a big problem. joining me now is abi huntsman host of huff post live. thanks for being here tonight.

>> thanks for having me.

>> what is your reaction to justice scalia 's comments?

>> you know, it's really not all that surprising. i'm sure you remember the lawrence versus texas case when he was the only justice on the bench that held the position that banning sodomy was unconstitutional. that being said it's clearly not all that surprising. the bigger picture here is really talking about equal rights for gays and gay marriage in the 21st century . frankly the republican party is on the wrong side of history on this one. strangely i actually think that glenn beck makes a good point. ken melman who used to be the chairman of the rnc, he wrote for the op-ed journal making the point that, in fact, conservatives do not need to lose their core convictions in order to embrace gay marriage . what's more conservative than less government and more freedoms for americans? so it's strange to think that the republicans , in fact, should be leading on this issue. but the problem is they're not. and if you look at recent polls, i saw one recently also in the " wall street journal " that showed young adults between 18 to 29, 62% --

>> 63%.

>> up from 45% ten years ago. that's an indication where the country is moving.

>> i'm looking at the polls. let me show you this. not only are they on the wrong side of history, they're on the wrong side of public opinion . 65% of democrats support same-sex marriage in a recent quinnipiac poll. 49% of independents. republicans only 23%. 73% of republicans say they oppose same-sex marriage. when you look at the poll you referred to, 18 to 29-year-olds 63%. so there's a generational gap here. and a gap between most of the public and the republicans .

>> there's absolutely a generational gap. i'm the first to say that. republicans need to embrace this issue or they're not going to win moving forward. but going back to president lincoln , republicans have always stood strong on liberties. they should focus on parts of the party that made them strong. and that's fiscally responsible and strong national security . as it relates to civil liberties , let the institutions decide whether or not they believe in gay marriage . let's let the states decide. we're seeing more and more states are moving in support of gay marriage .

>> now, you know this personally because your father was one that supported lgbt community . and he's on record for supporting civil unions . he said quote, i think there's such a thing as equality under the law on marriage. i'm a traditionalist. i think that ought to be saved for one man and one woman, but i believe that civil unions are fair and brings a level of the dignity to relationships. and i believe in reciprocal beneficiary rights. i think they should be part of civil unions as well. conservatives attacked him for this. how do you respond?

>> he was one of the first republicans to come out and say that. the funny thing about that, reverend, is he was governor of utah, the most conservative state in the country. and he was re-elected with 80% of the vote. so i go back to just because you support gay marriage does not mean you're sacrificing the core conservative principles the party stands on. i think my dad was one of the first to come out, but i believe it will take people like my dad willing to take a stand and say i support gay marriage or civil unions . doesn't mean i'm not a republican. doesn't mean i'm not conservative anymore. it's going to take individuals like that to move the party in the right direction.

>> abby huntsman, thanks for your time tonight.

>> thanks for having me.

>>> the battle in michigan isn't just about workers' rights, it's about civil rights as well. and it's starting a nationwide