More than half of Latinos favor same-sex marriage, and Latino Catholics are much more supportive of President Barack Obama than Latino evangelicals, according to a Pew poll on religion and politics released Thursday. For the first time since the Pew Hispanic Center began asking the question in its National Survey of Latinos, more Hispanics favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally than oppose same-sex marriage, by 52 percent to 34 percent. As recently as 2006, those figures were reversed, with 56 percent of Latinos opposing same-sex marriage while 31 percent supported it. Despite increased activism against same-sex marriage by some U.S. Roman Catholic bishops this election season, Latino Catholics are more supportive of same-sex marriage than Latino evangelical Protestants, the Pew survey found, by 54 percent compared with 25 percent. Latinos who are religiously unaffiliated favor same-sex marriage by 71 percent. “Growing support among Latinos for civil marriage equality is not at all surprising,” said Lourdes Rodriguez-Nogues, President of DignityUSA, a Catholic group that favors gay and lesbian rights. “The importance of family across Latino cultures means that they want the best for all of their members, including those who are gay and lesbian.” READ ON: More than half of U.S. Latinos favor same-sex marriage - survey

More than half of Latinos favor same-sex marriage, and Latino Catholics are much more supportive of President Barack Obama than Latino evangelicals, according to a Pew poll on religion and politics released Thursday.

For the first time since the Pew Hispanic Center began asking the question in its National Survey of Latinos, more Hispanics favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally than oppose same-sex marriage, by 52 percent to 34 percent. As recently as 2006, those figures were reversed, with 56 percent of Latinos opposing same-sex marriage while 31 percent supported it.

Despite increased activism against same-sex marriage by some U.S. Roman Catholic bishops this election season, Latino Catholics are more supportive of same-sex marriage than Latino evangelical Protestants, the Pew survey found, by 54 percent compared with 25 percent. Latinos who are religiously unaffiliated favor same-sex marriage by 71 percent.

“Growing support among Latinos for civil marriage equality is not at all surprising,” said Lourdes Rodriguez-Nogues, President of DignityUSA, a Catholic group that favors gay and lesbian rights. “The importance of family across Latino cultures means that they want the best for all of their members, including those who are gay and lesbian.”

READ ON: More than half of U.S. Latinos favor same-sex marriage - survey