A CBS poll found that our 'approval' has gone up.
Here are some highlights:
Seventy-seven percent of Americans now say they know someone who is gay or lesbian, a new CBS News poll finds - an increase of 35 percentage points since 1992, when a majority of Americans said they did not.More than six in ten Americans say they have a close friend, work colleague or relative who is gay or lesbian. Just 22 percent say they do not know anyone at all who falls into that category.
The increasing visibility of gay and lesbian Americans appears to have contributed toward more positive perceptions of homosexual relations. Forty-three percent of Americans currently see homosexual relations between consenting adults as "wrong" - a drop of 19 percentage points from a Gallup poll taken in 1978.
Eight-four percent of Americans under 30 know someone who is gay or lesbian. Older Americans are less likely to know someone who is gay or lesbian: Just 66 percent of those over 65 say they do.
Fifty-one percent of Americans believe people are born homosexual - an increase of eight points from 1993. Thirty-six percent say homosexuality is something people choose. Those who know someone who is gay or lesbian are more likely to believe sexuality is something people are born with.
More than half (53 percent) believe it is necessary to have laws that protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in hiring and promotion. Forty-three percent do not. Women are more likely than men to support such protections.
I wonder if Glee and RuPaul's Drag Race did anything to help?
2 comments:
:)
Even my mom has mellowed. My best friend of over 30 years is gay. Initially my mom couldn't understand why I would choose to be best friends with a gay man. Now, she can't imagine not having him in our lives; she thinks of him as a son. It took a while, but she wised up
The more familiar people get with gays the more they realize we are not some eeeeevil ominous other. Cool!
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