Nation of bigots: 50% think homosexual relations should be illegal

[ringmastery]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/21/national/21GAY.html?hp

For decades, a majority of Americans have not approved of homosexual relations. That had begun to change, until the Supreme Court ruling in June and the Massachusetts ruling in November. A New York Times/CBS News poll conducted in July found that 54 percent of respondents said homosexual relations should be legal. Only 41 percent of the respondents in the latest poll said they should be legal.

[jpgray]

1. Everyone, watch this cartoon

The last bit will put the opinions above in their proper light.

http://www.markfiore.com/animation/marriage.html

[wanderingbear]

2. Ya..Well Look at whos taking the poll.

What do you expect from a conservitive rag like the Times??

[BlueEyedSon]

5. The conservatives call the times "lefty"

I think they are pretty moderate. After all, they let Krugman write a bi-weekly OpEd.

[wanderingbear]

7. The times liberal???

Well,Maby from their point of veiw..

[evil_orange_cat]

16. conservative rag? LOL

oh man that's funny... I suppose the Guardian is a Republican paper... right? LOL

[BlueEyedSon]

3. I would love to see the pool results for these questions:

Are non-Christians going to heaven? Are they moral?

Do you favor mixed-race marriages?

Should poor (or insert minority here) children be permitted to go to the same quality schools as your kids, including college?

Sometimes the gov't in a democracy needs to do the right thing, IN SPITE of the will of the people.

[liberalhistorian]

15. "Sometimes the gov't in a democracy

needs to do the right thing IN SPITE of the will of the people."

EXACTLY! That says it all right there. For instance, where would we be in terms of civil rights right now if the South had been allowed to vote on whether blacks should be treated like human beings or not, instead of the federal government ordering and helping to force and maintain desegregation and the implementation of civil rights? People can be pretty damned dumb, ignorant and bigoted a lot of the time, and the fate of those within the minority should NEVER be determined by the will of such people.

[Silverhair]

19. How very naive. Do something on a "hot button" issue that the

public strong disapproves of, and you are voted out, replaced by someone that the public wants, and the law then gets changes by the new legislatures and exucitives to reflect what the people want. That is the way a democracy works.

If you try to get a court to overrule the legislatures, and the public feels strongly enough about it for a long enough time, then the juducialry gets replaced too.

The nation just is not ready for gay marriage, and any attempts to ram down the general publics throat will result in a gigantic backlash that will lash away other liberal programs with it.

That's reality.

[SadEagle]

21. That's a fundamental part of democracy.

Being in a majority does not give one rights to oppress a minority group.

To quote from Jefferson's inaugural address:

"All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all easer to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression."

[pasadenaboy]

4. Why would the public think differently?

The repubs demonize homosexuals and our democratic leadership is silent because they are afraid to upset anyone.

[La_Serpiente]

6. This quote really brought me down

Mr. Nimri said he was also worried that if gays were allowed to marry, they would get other rights too, like tax benefits. "Because they're a minority, they're going to start actually giving them more privileges than normal people would have," he said. "Minorities always tend to get more than your average person does."

As a homesexual myself, I just want to have equal rights just like everyone else. That quote will be the result of Republicans framing the issue to the voting populace. If I had things my way, I would tell the Democratic presidentical candidate to reframe the issue. However, I don't think any of them will touch the issue. If so, they will probably mention it in passing. *sigh*

[Sandpiper]

10. This whole issue reminds me of something...

I saw in the latest issue of Mad Magazine: The 20 Dumbest People, Events and Things of 2003.

It was called "Evil Eye for the Queer Guy" and had a picture of George W. Bush, Antonin Scalia, Pat Robertson, Rick Santorum, and Michael "Savage" Weiner.

It also asked the appropriate question, what is it about homosexuals that turns otherwise reasonable people into such complete dicks?

[ecstatic]

8. Illegal is a bit harsh

Gee, we are a nation of bigots, aren't we? I don't see why some people concern themselves with what others do in the bedroom.

[Toucano]

9. Is it just me or does

Knowing a gay person seem to make a difference in every case? The closest group is 18-29 year olds.

Looks like seniors need to be encouraged to come out of the closet!

[David__77]

11. At least the youth are on the right side!

This may end up a battle for attrition. We may never win over many among the older Americans, but we will most certainly win over those newly developing their ideas. Even among youth evangelicals, anti-homosexuality is relatively "soft" as compared with those who recall when homosexuality was almost universally thought of as a sickness or tragedy. It's a battle we'll win. If the GOP wants to go on the side of the bigotry in this one, it will not bode well for the future electoral prospects when the 18-29 demographic is in charge!

[Devlzown]

12. Oh well, that does it.

Guess I'm gonna have to find me a little woman and settle down.;)

[loudnclear]

13. It's probably the 50% who have tried it and didn't like it.

eom

[populistmom]

14. I never understood

...why who you love or what you do in the privacy or your bedroom whould be anyone else's business. Logically, it makes no sense. People start throwing the Bible into it, but this isn't a theocracy. Well, not yet, anyway. Geesh!

[creativelcro]

17. You just need to wait until the 45 and older bite the dust...

There is an obvious age effect... A matter of time... I really don't see what the constitution has to do with this... I thought the NE was more progressive than it appears to be...

[Deja Q]

18. Thank God for the 18-29 year olds

Everyone else seems to hate us.

Out-fucking-rageous.

Maybe the next empire will treat homosexuality more fairly.

It's a reminder though, not that we homos need much of one, that we are hated.

On the plus side, lots of people hate Americans and Americans have their bumper stickers and colored flags and things saying "American pride" and so on. Maybe they'll see the parallel someday and grow the hell up.

And the people are wrong, too. It's fascism for the government to tell people how to live their lives, or that's the excuse corporate america uses to sodomize the world...

[eridani]

20. Let's have some historical perspective here

If someone had told members of the Mattachine Society or Daughters of Bilitis in the 50s that in the near future half the population of America would think that gay relationships should be legal, they would have jumped up and down with joy.

[drfemoe]

22. funny .. the conservative

"American Family Association" poll is showing a different result.

I oppose legalization of homosexual marriage and "civil unions" 37.54%
(171056 votes)
I favor legalization of homosexual marriage 54.14%
(246707 votes)
I favor a "civil union" with the full benefits of marriage except for the name 8.32%
(37897 votes)

[drfemoe]

25. oops

anyone can vote .. http://www.afa.net/petitions/marriagepoll.asp

This poll is supposedly going to Congress. I think that's probably depending on the results. ;)

[jsw_81]

23. Religion is the problem

There are far too many brainwashed fundamentalist zombies (especially in the south) who have been taught to believe that homosexuality is a "sin" and that gays are "evil." They're also taught that all gays are bound for eternal hellfire unless they repent and accept Jesus.

Until we can somehow free people from the mental chains of fundamentalist religion and become more secular and progressive like Western Europe, Murka will continue to be a backwards, conservative country.

[Terwilliger]

24. yet we must do what we can to appeal to their vote

well, why didn't you say so?

Maybe Wes Clark could claim some connection with deity...the stupids would vote for him right away!