Rachel Laser

Rachel Laser is the Deputy Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Prior to the RAC, Ms. Laser worked as Culture Program Director at Third Way and as Senior Counsel for the National Women's Law Center. She is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Chicago Law School. Her proudest accomplishment is balancing her career with her family of three teenagers and a husband.

Public Religion Research Institute

Perception Problem: Of all the identified religious groups in the poll, Jews are the most supportive of same-sex marriage, with 83% favoring allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally.

News and Politics

Psst: New Study Shows American Jews Overwhelmingly Support LGBT Rights. Far Too Quietly

By Rachel Laser

This past Wednesday was a trifecta for the LGBT rights community.

A federal district court judge struck down the Texas ban on same-sex marriage, positioning Texas to join the 17 states and District of Columbia that now allow gay couples to legally wed.

The Republican Arizona governor vetoed a bill allowing refusal of services to gays and lesbians, hopefully setting a precedent for similar bills being considered in several other states. And the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) released a major new survey on a decade of changes in attitudes on LGBT-related issues. The research revealed a 21-point jump in support for same-sex marriage from 2003, when one-third (32%) of Americans supported same-sex marriage, to 2013, when a majority (53%) of Americans do.