Same-Sex Relations, Marriage Receive Record Approval

By Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service

(RNS) Nearly two-thirds of Americans say gay or lesbian relations between consenting adults should be legal, the highest percentage ever recorded by Gallup.

Researchers found that 64 percent of American adults supported legal gay relations, which Gallup has included in surveys since 1977.

In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court's Lawrence v. Texas decision struck down state anti-sodomy laws that had been used to criminalize homosexual activity.

Despite the high rate of support for gay relations, Americans are less likely -- 56 percent -- to consider them "morally acceptable," even as that figure is the highest measured since Gallup first asked that question in 2001.

Americans who believe same-sex orientation is inherent are much more likely to think legal gay relations are morally acceptable, with 81 percent approval, compared to just 33 percent who believe a person's sexual orientation is due to environmental factors.

The same poll, taken May 5-8, found that a majority of Americans (53 percent) supported gay marriage for the first time since Gallup started tracking the issue in 1996.

Catholics are more likely than Protestants to support legal same-sex marriage, and it is also favored more by those who attend church less frequently and people who are unmarried.

The findings, based on telephone interviews of 1,018 adults, have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Comments

[democratbob]

06:41 AM on 06/04/2011

Just as the darkness is greatest just before dawn breaks, so also is the opposition the shrillest and strongest just before victory. As a straight man married to the same woman for over 31 years, I anticipate the day when all can be married. It is a matter of civil rights.

[AnneTally]

04:08 AM on 06/04/2011

Equality for one equality for all. It may sound simple but I love being married to my husband. Love being his wife. Even though it's just a piece of paper, I'm so glad that we have that bind. It doesn't keep us together, doesn't cement us as a couple but it's legal. I have rights that others don't because of a tiny piece of paper. It's shameful.

[bannorhill]

10:15 PM on 06/01/2011

These polls differ from the polls that really count...the voting booth.

In 30 out of 30 states voters have voted to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

[Josegoodtime]

10:40 PM on 06/01/2011

Ahh! The Bigots motto Oppress! Oppress! Oppress!

[Ioan Lightoller]

03:32 AM on 06/04/2011

You do because you can, right? Well, you may have the legal right currently. You will NEVER have the moral right to vote on the rights of law abiding citizens. And soon, enough, you will not have the legal right, either, as should have been the case all along.

[bannorhill]

03:56 PM on 06/04/2011

No we do it because marriage is between a man and a woman. If you want different relationships so be it but that does not make it a marriage.

[loggerboots]

06:52 PM on 06/01/2011

i've told many friends that fiscal conservative,repub could win any election if he told the wing nutts that abortion is a personal matter,and cival unions for gay people,wont end our democracy, they
would be elected anytime.
Let the bible thumpers run thier own candidates,

[Abelardo Perez]

01:30 PM on 06/01/2011

christians are pissing in their pants!

[Misterioso Adversario]

11:39 PM on 05/30/2011

At least America is finally starting to wise up and make decisions based on rationality, and not superstitious hocus pocus from a 2,000 year old book. Keep it up America, maybe we can finally get the rest of the world to stop making fun of us.

[Ami Toben]

10:58 PM on 05/30/2011

This is indeed good news.
Isn't it nice to see more and more 21st century people turning away from the Taliban styled ancient tribal laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy?

[useeme]

05:53 PM on 05/29/2011

Humm, a topic that has been around for years, it is finally pushing through the WH.

[Marchmont]

04:28 AM on 05/29/2011

I note that even that most traditional of all Christian Churches, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, has finally decided to start accepting gay clergy in sexually active monogamous relationships. It is the result of a long campaign driven by two American-trained Scottish theologians: Professor Iain Torrance, President of Princeton’s Theological Seminary and the Rev Dr John Cameron, a graduate of California’s Pomona College.

[bannorhill]

01:21 PM on 06/02/2011

You will also notice that their membership continues to fall.

[Ioan Lightoller]

03:33 AM on 06/04/2011

Good. That will leave quality instead of quantity. Numbers aren't everything.

[Jimcracky]

12:40 PM on 05/28/2011

What's astonishing in these exchanges is the amount of time and energy put into arguing the fine points of a load of 2000-5000 year old crap as if it has any bearing on the issue at hand. Let's get this clear, we're talking about the legal status of secular, adult relationships in a secular country in the 21st century, not the theological discussions of your religion. Your holy book and religion have no bearing on it. If you want to live in a theocracy, buy yourself an island somewhere and start your own. Otherwise, please keep your god out of my civil rights.

[Misterioso Adversario]

11:40 PM on 05/30/2011

But the sad thing is that many Americans would like to believe that this is a Christian nation, founded on Christian ideals, even though the writings of many of the founding fathers are quite contrary to this.

If people want to go to church and condemn gay people, fine whatever. Keep your bigotry in your churches and in your homes, but keep it out of our laws. Let the rest of us rational human beings live with laws made on a rational basis, and not religious dogma.

[DougSmith]

06:59 AM on 05/28/2011

Proof that we are slowly clawing our way out of the dark ages of religious superstitious baloney.

[Tracy Fortune]

06:30 AM on 05/28/2011

Ok- even though I despise going here- AGAIN....

America- one big reason it was formed was because of oppression. Look at freedom of religion. I shall take that forward to mean that you ought to be able to believe as you deem fit- or NOT. Not everyone is Christian, so applying those tenants is decidedly anti-American.

The Bible-thumpers. As far as Christianity is concerned, the only laws laid out, supposedly by God, are the 10 Commandments- none of which speak about homosexuality. The Bible, however, is biased and flawed via human views, context of the era,

[EmmaDarian]

08:31 AM on 05/28/2011

Great post.

And if you want to look at the Ten Commandments, there IS one against adultery, which Jesus says more than once includes divorce. In fact, almost the only time Jesus speaks about marriage, he does so to condemn divorce. Which means anyone quoting the Bible to oppose marriage equality should be trying much harder to ban divorce except under the very few circumstances Jesus deems it acceptable. That would mean almost no one, including abused women, could divorce.

[bannorhill]

01:26 PM on 06/02/2011

You seem to be skipping Leviticus 20:13 that says:

"If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

That law does not support same sex marriage.

[Tracy Fortune]

07:51 PM on 06/02/2011

What part of "Ten Commandments" do you not get?

[bhamilton017]

05:03 AM on 06/04/2011

You know what else it says in Leviticus? You can sell your daughter into slavery. Oh, and you can have slaves as long as its from a neighboring country. You can't eat shellfish. You can't touch the skin of a dead pig. You can't work on the Sabbath, and if you do you should be put to death. What else? No planting two crops in the same field, or wearing clothes made of two different materials. My point? Leviticus is an outdated, 2000 year old book of laws that should have no bearing on what our laws are today.

[Wolf Larsen]

12:30 AM on 05/28/2011

"Nearly two-thirds of Americans say gay or lesbian relations between consenting adults should be legal, the highest percentage ever recorded by Gallup."

================================================

It took until 2003 to strike down laws that were used to persecute_people for doing what comes naturally. The fact that a third of the people in this country think that acts that harm no one and are as a natural of an outlet of human emotion as their so called "decent" relations is just a testament to how stuck in the dark ages this country truly is.

What so many in this country cannot get through their heads is that this is a secular country. It is not a theocracy. Religion has NO bearing on any of our laws.....except for laws punishing_the conduct of the gay community.

Some in this country use religion like a_cudgel to impose their so called morality. The gay community are guilty of nothing. Their sexual_impulses are as natural and decent as those of heterosexuals_.

The real hang up is the straight community that simply can't deal with the thought of people doing something they could never imagine doing.

That and the fact that some straight men think they are such magnets of attraction that they need to be protected. Relax. Gay_men are just as turned off by you as the straight women are.....

[Jimcracky]

12:27 PM on 05/28/2011

Hey, Wolf, Great post, but your byline should read: "The Country You Want Back Never Did Exist." LOL

[Justin Dickson]

06:56 PM on 05/27/2011

Watch the documentary "one nation under god" There is a frequently cited study about 11 successful cases of "ex-gays". The 11 were found out of a group of 30 out of 1000's of cases of gays that completed "treatment" by Exodus, a group established to "cure" gays.
2 of the 11 were the 2 founders of the group and 15 years after starting the group they became ex-ex-gays and announced they had fallen in love.
Of the so called success stories, what actually happens is that the individual practices celibacy but still has homosexual desires.

You can't fix what isn't broken

[Angel1999]

08:44 PM on 05/27/2011

Thanks for that info. I figured that was the case, but I hadn't seen any actual statistics or follow-ups.

[Atwill]

09:55 AM on 05/30/2011

when my kid came out this is one of the movies on DVD i bought. it is great.

[Justin Dickson]

11:13 AM on 05/30/2011

Netflix has a lot of great documentaries (no I don't work for them, it's just cheaper then cable). Another one I saw was about Prop 8 and how the Morman church campaigned against it poring money and people in from Utah.
Another one was about the disparity between the haves and have nots called The One Percent.

[Ioan Lightoller]

03:37 AM on 06/04/2011

Another really good one is "For the Bible Tells Me So", it has Bp. Gene Robinson and others. Really a good film.

[Bob Wood]

03:56 PM on 05/27/2011

Millions of Homo Sapiens will benefit from same-sex marriage...not one Homo Sapiens will be harmed. So what's better...benefitting millions and harming none...or harming millions and benefitting none ? Which makes the most rational sense ? Why is this not a no-brainer ? Just curious...(sigh)

[jsaiditfirst]

04:34 PM on 05/27/2011

Gay marriages have no effect on me or my family, and your right that millions will benefit and none will be harmed. and I at least agree that its a no brainer.

[Justin Dickson]

06:56 PM on 05/27/2011

My favorite bumper sticker is
"my gay marriage, won't affect your straight divorce"