GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
A Wyoming man has received two life sentences in prison for his part in the abduction and beating death last fall of Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming. Russell Henderson avoided the potential outcome of a death sentence by agreeing to a plea bargain with prosecutors just as his trial was scheduled to begin on kidnapping and felony murder charges. He has agreed to testify in the August trial of Aaron McKinney, the other suspect in the Shepard case, and will never be eligible for parole.
The Shepard case and last year's brutal dragging death of an African-American man in Jasper, Texas, have ignited the national debate over hate crimes legislation. Tuesday, President Clinton endorsed a national hate crimes bill now pending in Congress that would expand current federal anti-discrimination laws to include gender, sexual orientation, and disability.
Seven out of ten Americans favor hate crimes legislation at the state level, according to a February Gallup poll. Support for the concept is highest among minorities and younger Americans, but also receives strong support from senior citizens and those who describe themselves as politically conservative. Three out of four Americans believe gay men and lesbians should be included in state hate crimes laws-although this is a lower percentage than for other protected groups such as racial and ethnic minorities, women, and religious minorities.
Gallup has been tracking American attitudes on the gay rights issue for more than 20 years and the poll results continue to show that the public is divided on the acceptability of homosexual behavior and lifestyles. In the latest Gallup poll on the issue, taken earlier this year, just over half of all Americans polled believe homosexuality should be considered an acceptable alternative lifestyle, while 46% consider it unacceptable. The same poll also found that just 50% of Americans believe homosexual relations between consenting adults should be legal; this marks the highest level of support in response to this question in this decade. Forty-three percent oppose consenting sexual relations between adults of the same gender, while seven percent offer no opinion. Historically, the strongest level of support for consenting homosexual relations came in 1987, when 55% of Americans approved. However, that level of support fell to 36% in 1989 before starting a steady climb over the last ten years.
Despite a more ambivalent attitude about homosexuality as a lifestyle, Americans strongly support ending job discrimination against gay men and lesbians. In the February poll, 83% of Americans said gay men and women should have equal rights in the workplace, with 13% opposed. When given specific occupations, there was strong support for employing homosexuals in sales (90%), as doctors (75%), as members of the president's cabinet (74%), and as members of the Armed Forces (70%). Support dropped when the occupations of teaching and clergy were suggested. Fifty-four percent were willing to consider gays for the clergy, while support for gays as teachers split depending on the school level. More Americans (61%) were willing to consider hiring homosexuals as high school teachers than as elementary school teachers (54%). Most of these percentages are higher than in previous polls.
For results based on the survey conducted February 8-9, 1999 (N=1,054) the margin of error is ±3 percentage points.
Do you think homosexual relations between consenting adults should or should not be legal?
| Legal | Not Legal | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99 Feb 8-9 | 50% | 43% | 7% |
| 96 Nov 21-24 | 44 | 47 | 9 |
| 92 Jun 4-8 | 48 | 44 | 8 |
| 1989 | 47 | 36 | 17 |
| 1987 | 33 | 55 | 12 |
| 1986 | 33 | 54 | 13 |
| 1985 | 44 | 47 | 9 |
| 1982 | 45 | 39 | 16 |
| 1977 | 43 | 43 | 14 |
As you may know, there has been considerable discussion in the news regarding the rights of homosexual men and women. In general, do you think homosexuals should or should not have equal rights in terms of job opportunities?
| Yes, should have equal rights | No, should not | DEPENDS (VOL.) | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 Feb 8-9 | 83% | 13% | 2% | 2% |
| 96 Nov 21-24 | 84 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| 93 Apr 22-24 | 80 | 14 | 6 | |
| 92 Jun 4-7 | 74 | 18 | n/a | 8 |
| 1989 | 71 | 18 | n/a | 11 |
| 1982 | 59 | 28 | n/a | 13 |
| 1977 | 56 | 33 | n/a | 11 |
Do you think homosexuals should or should not be hired for each of the following occupations? First, ... Next, ... READ AND ROTATE A-G:
| Should | Should Not | DEPENDS (VOL.) | DON'T KNOW/REFUSED | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. Salesperson | ||||
| 99 Feb 8-9 | 90% | 8% | 1% | 1% |
| 96 Nov 21-24 | 90 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| 92 Jun 4-8 | 82 | 13 | 3 | 2 |
| b. The Armed Forces | ||||
| 99 Feb 8-9 | 70 | 26 | 2 | 2 |
| 96 Nov 21-24 | 65 | 29 | 3 | 3 |
| 92 Jun 4-8 | 57 | 37 | 2 | 4 |
| c. Doctors | ||||
| 99 Feb 8-9 | 75 | 21 | 2 | 2 |
| 96 Nov 21-24 | 69 | 25 | 3 | 3 |
| 92 Jun 4-8 | 53 | 42 | 2 | 3 |
| d. Clergy | ||||
| 99 Feb 8-9 | 54 | 40 | 2 | 4 |
| 96 Nov 21-24 | 53 | 40 | 3 | 4 |
| 92 Jun 4-8 | 43 | 50 | 2 | 5 |
| e. Elementary school teachers | ||||
| 99 Feb 8-9 | 54 | 42 | 2 | 2 |
| 96 Nov 21-24 | 55 | 40 | 3 | 2 |
| 92 Jun 4-8 | 41 | 54 | 3 | 2 |
| f. High school teachers | ||||
| 99 Feb 8-9 | 61 | 36 | 2 | 1 |
| 96 Nov 21-24 | 60 | 34 | 3 | 3 |
| 92 Jun 4-8 | 47 | 49 | 2 | 2 |
| g. As a member of the President's cabinet | ||||
| 99 Feb 8-9 | 74 | 23 | 1 | 2 |
| 96 Nov 21-24 | 71 | 24 | 2 | 3 |
| 92 Jun 4-8 | 54 | 39 | 3 | 4 |
Do you feel that homosexual behavior should be considered an
acceptable lifestyle or not?
BASED ON FORM B: N = 511; MARGIN OF ERROR = ±5 PCT.
PTS.
| 99 Feb 8-9 | 97 Apr 18-20** | |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, acceptable | 52% | 42% |
| No, not acceptable | 44 | 51 |
| No opinion | 4 | 7 |
| 100% | 100% |
For results based on the survey conducted February 19-21, 1999 (N=1,014) the margin of error is ±3 percentage points.
Some states have special laws that provide harsher penalties for crimes motivated by hate of certain groups than the penalties for the same crimes if they are not motivated by this kind of hate. Would you favor or oppose this type of hate crime law in your state?
| 70% | Favor |
| 25 | Oppose |
| 5 | No opinion |
| 100% |
If a hate law were enacted in your state, which of the following groups do you think should be covered? How about... [ROTATE A-D]:
| Yes, should be covered | No, should not | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Racial minorities | |||
| 99 Feb 19-21 | 85% | 11% | 4% |
| B. Women | |||
| 99 Feb 19-21 | 83 | 13 | 4 |
| C. Homosexuals | |||
| 99 Feb 19-21 | 75 | 20 | 5 |
| D. Religious and ethnic minorities | |||
| 99 Feb 19-21 | 84 | 12 | 4 |
(vol.) = volunteered response
