Survey: People are more inclined to support gay rights if they personally know someone who is gay

[ck4829]

Last week, Gallup released a poll showing that, not surprisingly, people who know someone how is gay are more inclined to support marriage equality:

"While 57% of Americans oppose legalizing gay marriage, Americans who personally know someone who is gay or lesbian are almost evenly divided on the matter, with 49% in favor and 47% opposed. Among those who do not personally know anyone who is gay, 72% oppose legalized gay marriage while just 27% favor it."

http://rightwingwatch.org/content/if-familiarity-breeds-acceptance-we-must-avoid-familiarity

[sellitman]

1. Guess that didn't work for Cheney.

Not even for the Log Cabin idiots.

Go figure?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

3. it did work for cheney

[customerserviceguy]

5. Yep, he just made some remarks on the subject

last week. He said legalization should be left up to the states. While that's not glowing support of the concept of marriage equality, it's a far cry from his buddy Dubya standing up in front of Congress calling for a Federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

I've long said that if every gay and lesbian person in the US simply came out to everyone on one day, after about two weeks of reeling, the people who had previously thought they didn't know anybody of this orientation would start to back off. That was the purpose of integration in schools, to get people used to being around people that were not like them, so they would stop believing the crap they were taught by ignorant parental figures.

[RufusH]

2. What's sad to me is that 47% who know someone gay STILL oppose equal marriage.

[customerserviceguy]

6. It would have been interesting

if Gallup had included civil unions/domestic partnerships in the mix of choices. I'd be willing to bet that of that 47%, a sizable number, perhaps a majority of that group, would be fine with CU/DP. There are just some people that are totally stuck on keeping the word "marriage" to define heterosexual relationships only.

[FreeState]

7. It depends on the word "Know" - do they qualify that?

Does that mean the man down the street is gay or a close co-worker or family member? Its all on the quality of the relationship IMO.

[bluedawg12]

8. That's why I am not in favor of popular votes for civil rights.

The "some of my best friends are gay..." argument just doesn't hold up when it comes to fairness.

[izquierdista]

4. Come out, come out wherever you are

This just shows that the only way to achieve equality is to open all the closet doors. Sunshine will work wonders on a closed mind.