https://www.npr.org/2021/12/31/ [login to see] /the-story-of-marriage-equality-is-more-complicated-and-costly-than-you-remember
Americans' views on same-sex marriage have undergone a revolution in a few short decades.
Public opinion on the issue swung so swiftly and decisively — and so little uproar resulted once it was legal nationwide — that one might easily assume the march toward marriage equality was a neat, steady progression.
But it was in fact a decades-long project that moved in fits and starts. As with pretty much any other political movement, there was disorganization and internal squabbling — many in the LGBTQ+ community didn't even see marriage equality as a priority (or even a worthy goal at all) a couple of decades ago.
And, as with other political movements, copious amounts of money provided a lot of the momentum.