It’s a day of poll data! The nation’s various question askers are all delivering their latest results on national surveying after bothering people on sidewalks across the nation, and Americans weighed in on lots of gay issues! So what’s the latest temperature on DOMA, same-sex marriage, and DADT? To the polls!
Note: Sometimes the same question is repeated below more than once, to provide data from multiple polling sources. Figures may not add up to 100 percent because some respondents replied “don’t know” or did not respond.
| Question | In Favor | Not In Favor | Source |
| Gay couples should be allowed to marry | 33% | 26 (But civil unions should be permitted); 24 (No legal recognition at all) | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| Gay couples should be allowed to marry | 42 | 25 (But civil unions should be permitted); 28 (No legal recognition at all) | New York Times/CBS News Poll |
| Gay couples should be allowed to marry | 49 | 46 | ABC News/Washington Post poll |
| The U.S. should repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell | 56 | 37 | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| Allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the military would be divisive | 35 | 58 | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| Not allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the military is discrimination, | 60 | 36 | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| The federal law (i.e. DOMA) that allows states to refuse other states’ same-sex marriages is okay | 50 | 44 | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| If a gay or lesbian couple gets legally married in another state, that marriage should be recognized as legal in your state. | 53 | 43 | ABC News/Washington Post poll |
| Should existing federal law that prohibits same-sex partners from receiving federal benefits stay in place? | 39 | 54 | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| Should your state permit same-sex marriage? | 38 | 55 | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| Should your state permit same-sex civil unions? | 53 | 40 | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| Same-sex marriage is a threat to traditional marriage between a man and woman. | 39 | 58 | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| Not allowing same-sex couples to get married is discrimination. | 45 | 51 | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| Ending discrimination against gay men and women is as necessary today as ending discrimination against blacks was in the 1960s. | 44 | 50 | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| Same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children. | 53 | 40 | Quinnipiac University national poll |
| The government is paying enough attention to gay and lesbian needs. | 41 | 22 (not enough attention); 26 (about right) | Quinnipiac University national poll |
Dabq
Looks like the glbt community still has a lot of work to do in educating the public that gay rights are human rights, since most of the respondents didn’t even bother to give a PC answer like many do in the Quinnipiac poll which is usually pretty accurate. And, I take it with a grain of salt on some of the poll numbers since people say one thing over the phone and do another in the privacy of the polling booth on election day.
Nick
Back when antimiscegenation laws were repealed, three out of four people in the US thought that interracial marriage was immoral; we’re in a way better position as a community right now.
atdleft
@Nick: True. We’re getting there.
@Dabq: Yeah. As much as I’d like for the WaPo poll to be true, that may be a little too generous. Most likely the real numbers are somewhere between WaPo and Quinnipiac, perhaps somewhere around the NYT poll results. But even if Quinnipiac’s closest to the truth, we’ve still come a long way… And we still have quite a way to go to get to full equality.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
The disparity in the marriage equality poll results is strange. Stranger still that CNN’s poll last December showed 81% favoring ending the nearly 70-yr. old military ban.
The good thing is that all show a majority do. The bad thing is that both the most liberal Congress in a long time [based on the relative few who have signed onto the repeal bill in the House, no repeal bill at all yet in the Senate, and pretty wise political weatherman Barney Frank recently saying the support isn’t there this year] and the “DADT must be repealed” President [based upon Defense Secty Gates revealing that even working on repeal has been “pushed down the road”]…..are lagging far BEHIND the public on this.
We must keep pressuring them every way we can, including quoting such polls, before we get caught between their “can’t risk it now due to 2010 elections” excuse and their “can’t risk it now due to 2012 elections” excuse.
“When Americans. . .remember and honor those who gave their lives fighting. . .it never [occurs] to them that some of the strongest, bravest, and most heroic were also gay. It is time for us, as a community, to remedy that.”
– Leonard Matlovich
The Advocate, 1987
sal
if this is true then why prop8 still exists???
Chitown Kev
@sal:
A lot of this may be happenning because of H8.
sal
@Chitown Kev: yeah but it seems really silent.like they arent sure
getreal
@Chitown Kev: Exactly the fundamentalists are losing public opinion so they are getting aggressive. Prop 8 won because conservatives and Mormons poured 80 million dollars into an aggressive campaign of lies, misinformation, and went into every community with lies suited to scare that community most.The no on Prop 8 campaign naively did zero outreach to rural people, people of color, people of faith, thinking they did not need them and that the cities would be enough they were wrong. There was no one to educated people that the Yes people were lying in their ads. Luckily the repeal Prop 8 campaign is going a lot better.
Pete
The last five years have been something. To go from Bush proposing a Federal ban to the majority of Americans favoring actual marriage equality. Amazing.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
The following is long, but brilliant analysis from the Huffington Post of the inexcusable statis on DADT by the leading expert on the law, Nathaniel Frank, author of “Unfriendly Fire” and Senior Research Fellow at the Palm Center.
“One Hundred Days of Silence
Just as Republicans are beginning to realize that gay marriage may not remain a winning wedge issue forever, conservative lawmakers are reportedly setting out to use gays in the military to divide President Obama and the military. The strategy is to ask the Defense Secretary or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about gay troops in upcoming hearings on the Defense budget, before the president has reached out to ensure that his team members are all on the same page.
If military leaders don’t answer these questions by expressing confidence that the ban can be lifted without impairing the military, we could face a repeat of the 1993 fiasco that nearly derailed Bill Clinton’s entire domestic agenda. And the president’s hundred days of silence could mean many more years of it for gay troops–and thousands more unaffordable discharges for our military.
This is why mounting a swift, clean campaign to end the ban should be the standard by which Obama is evaluated on this issue. It’s not only a matter of impatience to get this done, but of concern that further delays could actually increase–rather than decrease–the chances of a bruising–and possibly losing–battle once we get there.
This would have both political and military costs. Politically, Obama has chosen a strategy of “wait and manage”: hope the issue doesn’t come up, and diffuse it when it does. This approach appears to come from taking the wrong lesson from the Clinton years. Many see Clinton’s error as coming out too soon on gays in the military, guns blazing, without laying the groundwork by consulting with military brass. But it’s a myth that Clinton moved too quickly and didn’t consult the military. The new president met with the Joint Chiefs right after both the election and his inauguration. They just didn’t like what they were hearing, so they balked. Clinton’s resolve weakened. He called for a 6-month “study period” that allowed the opposition to rally and fester. Underestimating the resistance, Clinton assigned inexperienced, junior aides to manage the issue. In the end, a dressed-up gay ban was locked into place for years to come.
Already, signs show a similar story playing out. The White House will not say publicly who has been tasked to work on this sensitive issue. Obama has remained totally silent on an issue that his campaign and press secretary declared unequivocally that he planned to address–which offers the fairest way to grade him: by how he stacks up against his own professed goals. During his campaign, Obama did not say he would end the ban eventually, but that the time is now. “America is ready to get rid of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy,” he said in a fall, 2007, statement to the Human Rights Campaign. “That work should have started long ago. It will start when I take office.”
It hasn’t. While Obama’s spokesman, Robert Gibbs, declared starkly in January that the incoming president was committed to ending the ban, the White House said in February, according to the Boston Globe, that it would “have to study the implications for national security” before trying to overturn the ban and that such study might not happen until 2010.
By March, Secretary Gates said he had had only “one brief conversation” with the president about the issue, and that the dialogue had “not progressed very far.” This statement flatly contradicted one by a White House spokesman earlier that same month who said the president has “begun consulting closely with Secretary Gates and Chairman Mullen” about lifting the ban. Which is it, ongoing close consultations or one short discussion?
Obama’s own silence has left a leadership vacuum that’s been occupied instead with these kinds of dangerous mixed messages. And opponents of equal treatment for gays are gaining ground in framing the debate: into the void have stepped over 1000 retired officers who recently signed a letter insisting that lifting the ban would “break” the armed forces. Secretary Gates, when asked about repeal by journalists, began hedging, saying he and the president would like to “push that one down the road a little bit” and suggested, according to the New York Times that it “might not happen at all.” But if Obama is committed to ending the ban, why is his Defense Secretary suggesting it might not happen?
These contradictory messages say to those who are paying attention that the White House has no coordinated plan to lift the ban. And lacking a battle plan is candy to your enemies.
Obama’s silence also has military costs: every day, the government adds one or two service members to the list of over 12,500 already fired just for being gay. And these ruined careers are only the half the story. By now, most of us are familiar with the fact that cables warning of an attack sat untranslated in the days leading up to 9/11 because of a shortage of the very Arabic speakers who had been drummed out under “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Barack Obama inherited this policy. But right about now, he begins to own it.
Further delay means not only that Obama must accept responsibility for firing gay Americans whom we desperately need in uniform; it also means a bumpier ride once we do lift the ban. That’s because with more time comes more venomous debate and an increasingly split military leadership, as the resentment of the old guard is fueled by further grumbling by their fellow social and religious conservatives. Divided leadership ill-serves the troops who are charged with carrying out a new policy.
Finally, Obama’s silence has moral costs. Some, including those on the left who worry about the supposed fall-out of treating gays as equal citizens, think Gates is on target in pushing this down the road, and would thus give Obama high marks merely for avoiding a battle on this early in his administration. This story line has added resonance at a time when the nation’s economic crisis clearly takes precedence over nearly any other issue. And so we’ve heard otherwise progressive Americans wax poetic about the virtues of gradualism when it comes to gays.
As a nation, our ongoing refrain of “soon” on gay rights is beginning to sound like the murmurs of a child or addict who insists that responsible, adult behavior is perpetually just around the corner. For years, Democrats have run from the “ick” factor of gay issues. And only now–not because of moral courage but because the Republican Party is imploding from its own excesses–will Dems be able to finally inch forward to do the right thing on gay rights.
For far too long, Americans have swallowed a fear narrative casting gays as a threat to national security. But since this threat has always been made up, the idea that Obama must wait until the right window to throw the fear overboard is beginning to sound stale. There is no brain surgery involved in ending the gay ban. Unlike solving the financial crisis, winning the war in Afghanistan, or curing cancer, we know perfectly well how to do it. There’s no mystery involved, just will.
Barack Obama still has a good chance at succeeding where Bill Clinton failed on this issue. If he does that, his grade for the first 100 days may seem largely–but not entirely– superfluous. Still, Obama should already have done what Clinton should also have done: issue an immediate executive order halting gay discharges. Contrary to popular belief, the current president still has that option: even though Congress has to repeal the law to get it off the books, nothing in the statute requires that findings of homosexual discharge ever be made. That wording of the law, along with the president’s constitutional and statutory authority to suspend military separations when in the interest of national security still give him the power to cease firing gay troops right now. Obama’s leadership vacuum has earned him a C on gays in the military. But it’s not too late for a re-write.”
Dan
I’m wondering if the ABC News-Washington Post poll showed better results (49% favor marriage, 46% oppose it) because it gave two options. It looks that way from the table. The Quinnipiac and New York Times-CBS polls gave three options. In both of those polls, the largest group favored marriage, while smaller groups favored civil unions or no legal recognition. So all three polls are in rough agreement.
Alec
You want to be the chosen one?
Hahahahahahahahhahahha
Bruno
@Dan:
YES! This is why I think we should take the concept of a “civil union” off the table. I’d rather just piecemeal go for those rights in states that aren’t amenable to the umbrella of “marriage” to unite them, even if it’s more painstaking and a little annoying. That way, people can’t hide behind “civil unions” as an option. Because we all have to understand, “civil unions” are not an equal option.
getreal
@Bruno: @Bruno: I agree civil unions are 2nd class citizenship and Brown vs Board of Education made separate but equal unconstitutional!
Jesus Holds His Hand
Obama’s much praised LGBT agenda at WhiteHouse.gov HAS BEEN GUTTED.
DOMA repeal gone; gay-inclusive HIV education gone; “change” not repeal DADT; explicit LGBT references gone from hate crime commitment [despite his recent “urging” Congress to pass]; “supports” is catch all passive verb replacing “will” verbs.
NOW: President Obama also continues to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. He supports full civil unions and federal rights for LGBT couples and opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. He supports changing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security, and also believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation.
BEFORE:
…President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act of 2009, to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work. they will also pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: President Obama and Vice President Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act, and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice’s Criminal Section.
Support for the LGBT Community
“While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”
— Barack Obama, June 1, 2007
Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.
Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees’ domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
Repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma — too often tied to homophobia — that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.
Alec
I’m worried about DADT. Bad signs on that front. But Obama’s stance on DOMA remains the same. Pushing federal civil unions implicitly repeals part of DOMA.