Tag Archives: LGBT Americans

New Survey Says Americans Are More Accepting Of Same-Sex Relationships, Than Heterosexual Divorce

According to a new survey, Americans are more accepting of gay relationships, but they are less comfortable with divorce.

Over the last few years, the American government has been periodically asks thousands of teens and younger adults what they think about changes in U.S. family relationships.

The results released this week indicate a shift over a decade on a range of topics. But most surprising was what they said about divorce.

Asked if divorce is the best solution when a marriage is on the rocks, 38% of women agreed, down from 47% a decade earlier. For men, it was 39%, down from 44%.

Divorce in the U.S. has become more common through the generations, and there’s an assumption that acceptance would be holding steady or perhaps increasing, some experts said.

According to Wendy Manning, a family and marriage researcher at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, there could be several explanations for the decline.

Marriage is becoming so selective that maybe people think if you achieve this status, you don’t want to end it.”

Marriage rates are down and people are older when they first get married. So those who do marry are more likely to be in it to win it, she said.

Also, the survey was conducted on the heels of a national economic downturn, when some couples didn’t have the money to divorce and set up separate households, she noted.

Other findings, which reflect an increase over a decade:

  • Think it’s OK for a young couple to live together before they’re married; about three-quarters of men and women.
  • Approve of single women having and raising a baby; 78% of women, 69% of men.
  • Agree gay and lesbian adults should have the right to adopt children; 75% of women, 68% of men.
  • Approve of premarital sex among 18 year olds; about 54% of women and 64% of men.
  • But there was no significant change when it came to sex among 16 year olds. Only 15% of women and 21% of men said it’s OK.
  • And fewer than 10% think it’s necessary to have children to be happy in life. That hasn’t been changing, either.

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New Report Underlines Fierce Inequalities American LGBTs Face

While marriage equality may become a nationwide phenomenon this summer, LGBT Americans will still suffer many inequities, a new report from the Movement Advancement Project points out.

Sixty-one percent of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population in the U.S. will continue to live in states with medium or low legal protections — or that have outright hostile laws.”

Mapping LGBT Equality in America ranks U.S. states by their LGBT rights policies, rating them as high, low, medium, or negative in regard to equality.

The state rankings derive from their policies in a variety of areas, including anti-discrimination law, relationship recognition, health care, parenting rights, and much more.

California ranks highest of all states, Louisiana lowest.

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Twelve states and the District of Columbia, collectively home to 39% of the LGBT population, rank in the high equality category; 10 states, with 9% of LGBT Americans, medium equality; 13 states, encompassing 23% of LGBT people, low equality; and 15 states, with 28%of LGBT Americans, negative equality.

The report notes that even if the Supreme Court makes marriage equality the law of the land when it rules on the cases it heard in April, 52% of LGBT people would be at risk of being fired from their jobs, kicked out of their homes, or denied access to doctor’s offices and restaurants; 86% would live in states where their child is not protected from discrimination in school for having LGBT parents; and 81% would live in states that allow harmful “conversion therapy” to be used on minors.

The proportion of LGBT people living in states with high and medium overall equality would remain unchanged, but 12 states would shift from negative equality states to become low equality states.

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MAP executive director Ineke Mushovic said in a recent press release

Without question, a victory at the Supreme Court would be a transformative in helping advance equality for LGBT people. “However, many other laws are needed to fully protect LGBT people and their families. For example, while same-sex couples may soon be able to marry in their home state, that same state’s laws may fail to protect LGBT youth from being bullied in schools, lack non-discrimination laws covering LGBT workers, or lack laws and policies that help transgender people update the gender marker on their identity documents. One state may have high equality while a neighbouring state has hostile laws. Or a state may have high levels of equality for gay, lesbian, and bisexual people while offering almost no legal protections to transgender people.”

Read the full report at MAP’swebsite, which also offers continually updated information on individual states’ LGBT policies.