Morally Accepted

Joshua A. Boschee
Staff Writer

Two weeks ago, Gallup released information from their annual Values and Beliefs Poll that shows some positive trends for acceptance of gay and lesbian people in the United States. According to the poll, which was conducted the first week of May, 52% of people surveyed perceived gay/lesbian relations as morally acceptable, a three-point increase over last year.

While this is good news, the better news is that in the last three years, the number of men aged 18 to 49 who consider gay/lesbian relations as morally acceptable has increased by 20 percentage points from 42% in May 2006 to 62% this past May. For the first time in the survey’s history, men overall have a higher percentage of moral acceptance of gay/lesbian relations than women, which are 53% and 51% respectively.

Beyond gender, the survey looked at the part religious and political identities play in the moral acceptance of gay/lesbian relations. While only 35% of self-identified Republicans consider gay/lesbian relations as morally acceptable, Independents and Democrats tied at 61%. Over the last four years, the poll has shown a double-digit increase in percentage points with 50% of Independents in May 2006 morally accepting gay/lesbian relations.

Looking at people identified by ideology, 33% of those surveyed that consider themselves conservative accept gay/lesbian relations, a five-point increase since 2006. Those that consider themselves moderates jumped 14 points over the last four years and liberals only gained four points from 74% to 78%.

As a product of the Catholic school system, I was pleased to see that in the last four years, 62% of Catholics now consider gay/lesbian relations as morally acceptable, up from 46% in 2006, a significant increase. Protestants are more hesitant to accept homosexuality, with only 42% agreeing with same gender relations. The poll lumps all non-Christian religions together with 84% accepting gay/lesbian relations and people with no religion having the highest acceptance rate of 85%, up 11 points from May 2006.

What I find even more interesting in the results are the answers to the question, “In your view, is being gay or lesbian something a person is born with, or due to factors such as upbringing and environment?” In 1977, 56% of those surveyed answered that being gay or lesbian was caused by one’s upbringing or environment and 13% considered it as something one is born with. Twenty-three years later, only 37% of those surveyed considered homosexuality based on upbringing or environment and 36% see one being gay or lesbian as something a person is born with.

Although the responses aren’t where I would like to see them, I definitely see progress is being made. The researchers at Gallup don’t look at causality, but do make an inference that the United States is trending up when it comes to moral acceptance of gay and lesbian relations.

As a man who not only sees progress in the results of this survey, but also in his day-to-day observations, I would say that as our communities and the nation as a whole engage in conversation about and with gay and lesbian people, a better understanding is gained of gay and lesbian people being people who want to live an honest life and contribute to the success of their communities.

As we see an increase in gay and lesbian people coming out at all stages of life and from all different backgrounds, we see a correlating increase in the number of Americans who accept their gay and lesbian family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors.

We may not be seeing the progress occur as quickly as we would hope; we can’t deny the benefits of discussing more inclusive policies and practices in places of worship, city halls, schools, workplaces and the United States Capitol, even when those policies or practices do not advance.

Our elected leaders, clergy, employers and families are faced with hearing about the real experiences we live as Americans. The challenges we face and the hopes we have of contributing to the fabric of the United States are no longer something that only those people in San Francisco or New York have to hear about, but also right here in the heartland, our very own backyard.

When looking at the numbers, it is exciting to see a dramatic increase in the number of people of faith and those that identify politically as independent. These are the people who we need to continue focusing our time and energy on getting to know, educate and identify shared values. Independents and people of faith can be our strongest allies, if we take the time to share who we are with them, while supporting those that have been advocates, partners and allies over the years.

Yes, I am frustrated at the rate of progress, but I am more optimistic that progress will continue. As the late Senator Ted Kennedy famously invoked, “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.”

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