And they support inclusive hate crimes laws and the ability of gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military. The voters in California, Florida and Arkansas clearly aren’t on the same page as most Americans when it comes to extending rights to gay couples.
A national survey conducted in November, “The Pulse of Equality” by Harris Interactive that was commissioned by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is out today. The survey is the first national snapshot after election day to poll U.S. adults’ overall attitudes towards LGBTs on several key issues. Among its findings:
* Three-quarters of U.S. adults (75%) favor either marriage or domestic partnerships/civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. Only about two in 10 (22%) say gay and lesbian couples should have no legal recognition. (Gay and lesbian couples are able to marry in two states, and comprehensive civil union or domestic partnership laws exist in only five others and the District of Columbia.)
* U.S. adults are now about evenly divided on whether they support allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry (47% favor to 49% oppose).
* Almost two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults favor allowing openly gay military personnel to serve in the armed forces. (The current “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law bans military service by openly gay personnel.)
* About six in 10 (63%) U.S. adults favor expanding hate crime laws to cover gay and transgender people. (Hate crimes laws cover gay and transgender people in 11 states and the District of Columbia, and an additional – 20 states’ laws cover sexual orientation but not gender identity.)
* A slight majority of U.S. adults (51%) favor protecting gay and transgender people under existing laws that prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. (Existing non-discrimination laws cover gay and transgender people in only 12 states and the District of Columbia, and eight other states’ laws cover sexual orientation but not gender identity.)
* Nearly seven out of 10 U.S. adults (69%) oppose laws that would ban qualified gay and lesbian couples from adopting children. (In several states, gay and lesbian couples are banned from adopting.)
Here are the full results - PDF. As usual, one of the usual fundie suspects was quick to comment.
Mathew Staver, founder of the Liberty Counsel, an Orlando-based conservative organization, said the survey was flawed because it was commissioned by a homosexual advocacy group and “is flat wrong on same-sex marriage.”
So the commissioning group just makes sh*t up for the polling org, is that what he’s saying? Why bother with the survey and spending all those buxxx? Good grief. As one reader said, “Oh, my, I am so looking forward to quoting this man when the American Family Association or the Family Research Council publishes poll results.”
To show how opinions have evolved so quickly on this issue, the Sun-Sentinel compared the 2008 findings to a February 2005 CBS/New York Times poll:
* only 23 percent of those surveyed said gays should be allowed to marry;
* 41 percent said there should be no legal recognition of any kind for gay couples.
GLAAD’s statement is below the fold.