Amid a flood of controversy last June, the U.S. Supreme Court
overturned a longstanding Texas anti-sodomy law. While gay rights
supporters applauded the decision, conservative political and
religious groups expressed outrage. The ruling also prompted
widespread speculation in the media that lawsuits related to other
gay rights issues, including same-sex marriage, would not be far
behind.
Vermont already allows civil unions between same-sex couples,
and the Massachusetts Supreme Court is considering a similar
ruling. Meanwhile, conservative lobbying groups are pushing
Congress to pass a Federal Marriage Amendment, mandating that
marriages be performed only between a man and a woman. Gay marriage
is clearly a divisive issue in the United States, with passionate
proponents on both sides. The latest Gallup data, from an Oct.
24-26 poll, show most Americans opposed (61%) to giving legal
recognition to same-sex marriages, while 35% are in favor of doing
so. Additionally, recent Gallup polling on same-sex marriage
reveals a relatively widespread perception that it would not be
good for society. Americans are divided as to their personal views
of whether gay and lesbian couples should have the same legal
rights as married couples.
Plurality of Americans Feel Gay Marriage Will Negatively
Affect Society
A Sept. 19-21 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll* included two
questions about gay marriage and the rights of gay couples, the
first of which asked Americans whether they think legalizing
same-sex marriage would change society for the better, for the
worse, or have no effect. Americans are much more inclined to say
it will have a negative effect (48%) rather than a positive effect
(10%). However, a sizable minority (40%) believes same-sex marriage
would have no effect on U.S. society either way.
Benjamin W. Bull, chief counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund,
an Arizona-based Christian legal organization, is a strong
proponent of the view that legalizing same-sex marriage would
negatively affect society. "It will so erode and diminish the
meaning of marriage as we know it, that as an institution which
encourages a certain traditional lifestyle choice, it will no
longer exist," Bull says. "When this occurs . . . virtually all
sexual behavior and lifestyle choices become value-neutral."
Jessica Greenwald, a 30-year-old fundraising professional for a
non-profit organization in Omaha, Neb., agrees with 40% of
Americans who don't foresee major societal repercussions, either
positive or negative. "If gay marriage were legalized, it wouldn't
have much effect on our society," she says. "My view is that gay
couples who will commit to marriage are contributing to the
stability of society. We tend not to notice those people who seem
to ‘fit in' to daily life, thus the impact would be
minimal."
Americans Evenly Divided on Legal Rights for Same-Sex
Couples
The September poll also asked Americans whether they feel that
gay or lesbian couples should be given the same legal rights as
married couples, or if it doesn't matter to them. On this question,
Americans are almost evenly divided among the three responses: 32%
said same-sex couples should receive the same rights as married
couples, 35% said they shouldn't, and 32% said it doesn't matter to
them personally.
Although just 10% of Americans feel that same-sex marriage would
be good for society, nearly a third believe that same-sex couples
should receive the same legal rights as other couples. This echoes
other Gallup findings that show support for upholding the personal
rights of gays tends to be higher than support for homosexuality
more generally.
Cathy Renna, news media director for the Gay and Lesbian
Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in New York City, sees the
response to this question as an indication that Americans are
making a distinction between the religious and legal implications
of gay marriage. "My hope is that this reflects a deeper
understanding of the distinction between the civil and religious
components of marriage -- and that while all [religious]
denominations should have the freedom to choose whether or not to
recognize same-sex relationships, we should all have access to all
of the legal rights and protections mixed-gender couples do."
Bottom Line
The only firm conclusion to be drawn from these survey results
is that Americans are deeply divided -- and often deeply ambivalent
-- on the subject of same-sex marriage. Regardless of the public's
feelings about same-sex marriage, it appears the controversy is
here to stay. A flurry of gay marriage lawsuits are being filed
across the country, and more are sure to come. In addition to the
Massachusetts Supreme Court case, a gay marriage case is also being
heard in Indiana, and a similar case was dismissed last week by a
New Jersey Superior Court judge.
*Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,003
national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Sept. 19-21, 2003.
For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can
say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is
±3 percentage points.
