Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partnerships

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/same_sex_marriage/index.html?scp=2&sq=same%20sex%20marriage,%20civil%20unions%20and%20gay%20partnerships&st=cse

The controversy over gay marriage began in 1993 when the Supreme Court of Hawaii ruled that denial of marriage licenses to three homosexual couples was sexual discrimination. In retaliation, Hawaii's legislature passed a 1994 bill defining marriage as between a man and woman who could procreate. Conservatives worried about the court case succeeded in getting the "Defense of Marriage Act" passed through Congress and signed by Bill Clinton. The first state to allow same-sex marriage was Massachusetts in 2004, after the state Supreme Court ruled that it was required under the state constitution's equal protection clause. Connecticut followed in 2008, and in April 2009, Iowa's Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriages. New Hampshire and Vermont legislatures have allowed same-sex marriages, along with California and Maine, although in the latter states voter referendums have revoked them. 26 states have passed constitutional bans against gay marriage. Barack Obama has claimed that he is against same-sex marriage, but supports gay and lesbian rights and the repeal of the "Defense of Marriage Act."

Is the national trend for or against legalizing gay marriages in the near future?