Gays and Politics

This whole Santorum business has certainly brought out the worst bigotry, hypocrisy and stupidity from the Republicans. As Calpundit and I have said before, gay rights could be a good issue which Democrats and Liberals could use to bring out the worst in Conservatives and Republicans and alienate their libertarian and moderate wings. Republicans, unsurprisingly, feel differently. Indeed, according to this article they think they can use this issue against Democrats, specifically Howard Dean, who supported civil unions as the governor of Vermont:

Richard White, a Republican state senator from Mississippi, said any candidate talking about gay rights might as well not even visit his state.

“The people down here, they are not going to put up with that kind of stuff,” White said. “We’re not prepared for all that in Mississippi or anywhere else in the southern states.”

The GOP argues that support for gay rights will cost the Democrats votes particularly in conservative southern states. However, I would argue that Democrats will never get the christian right vote and should work on getting the moderates who may well support gay rights even if they do not necessarily support gays. They may also be alienated by the anti-gay rhetoric coming from the right wingers.

Of course all this discussion begs the question: What does America think of gays? Anecdotally, I have certainly seen plenty of normally conservative people take a reasonable view on this issue (although admittedly Sullivan’s opinion is hardly suprising). However in a country where 51% of the people believe Saddam Hussein was ‘personally responsible for 9/11 and 59% believe that the prophecies of the Book of Revelation will happen sometime¹ I realize that the American people may be more conservative than I think.

The general trend seems to be that:

… Americans are becoming more accepting of homosexuality. A Gallup poll in the late 1990s showed a declining majority (59 percent) of Americans still agreed with Santorum that homosexuality is “always wrong.” That is most likely an expression of their religious convictions. But in what could be interpreted as strong support for their fellow citizens’ privacy rights, recent polls find that in the same time period, 52 percent of Americans regarded homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle while 44 percent found it unacceptable. Furthermore, 54 percent favored legalizing consensual homosexual activity between adults, while only 42 percent opposed legalization.

Indeed as the Will-and-Grace-ization of America proceeds, Americans are becoming more accepting, if not approving of homosexuals. this site shows some very positive trends in American opinions. For example, more people now regard homosexuality an ‘acceptable lifestyle’ than don’t:

Sodomy laws are now less popular than ever after an increase in popularity in the 80s. While a majority or people still think that homosexuality is “wrong,” that number is decreasing.

I think many moderates are of similar opinion of this man, a member of a focus group conducted by the Washington Post in 1999:

Jeff Bittner knows exactly what he thinks of gay men and lesbians. The 46-year-old grocery clerk from Madison, Wis., is certain that homosexuality is a sin – the Bible and common sense make that clear.

Does that mean we should outlaw homosexuality? Well, no, he says. The last thing we need in America is the government meddling in morality. “I know it’s not consistent,” said Bittner, shifting awkwardly in his chair. “It’s really hard.”

I should point out that there is no inconsistency in his view; he believes homosexuality is wrong, but thinks the government still shouldn’t interfere.

However, the issue that Republicans want to use against Dean specifically is his support of civil unions. Does America support that?

In the year 2000, [gallup] asked the question: "Suppose that on election day this year you could vote on key issues as well as candidates. Please tell me whether you would vote for or against each one of the following propositions. Would you vote…For or against a law that would allow homosexual couples to legally form civil unions, giving them some of the legal rights of married couples." Results were:

Date	Favor Unions	Oppose Unions	No Opinion
1996-APR	28%	67%	5%
200-OCT	42%	54%	4%

In 2001 they asked a slightly different question: "Would you favor or oppose a law that would allow homosexual couples to legally form civil unions, giving them some of the legal rights of married couples?" Results were:

Date	Favor Unions	Oppose Unions	No Opinion
2001-MAY	44%	52%	4%

Clearly an increasing trend. I think Dean can live with 44% support on what probably isn’t that important an issue for many.

These trends illustrate why even Santorum felt he had to say “I have no problem with homosexuality. I have a problem with homosexual acts.” Even he has to acknowledge that people are becoming more accepting of homosexuals.