Gay? Whatever, Dude. (Americans' Acceptance of Gay Relations Crosses 50% Threshold)

[t0dd]

Gallup Poll: http://www.gallup.com/poll/135764/Americans-Acceptance-Gay-Relations-Crosses-Threshold.aspx

Last week, while many of us were distracted by the oil belching forth from the gulf floor and the president’s ham-handed attempts to demonstrate that he was sufficiently engaged and enraged, Gallup released a stunning, and little noticed, report on Americans’ evolving views of homosexuality. Allow me to enlighten:

1. For the first time, the percentage of Americans who perceive “gay and lesbian relations” as morally acceptable has crossed the 50 percent mark. (You have to love the fact that they still use the word “relations.” So quaint.)

2. Also for the first time, the percentage of men who hold that view is greater than the percentage of women who do.

3. This new alignment is being led by a dramatic change in attitudes among younger men, but older men’s perceptions also have eclipsed older women’s. While women’s views have stayed about the same over the past four years, the percentage of men ages 18 to 49 who perceived these “relations” as morally acceptable rose by 48 percent, and among men over 50, it rose by 26 percent.

I warned you: stunning.

There is no way to know for sure what’s driving such a radical change in men’s views on this issue because Gallup didn’t ask, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t speculate. To help me do so, I called Dr. Michael Kimmel, a professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the author or editor of more than 20 books on men and masculinity, and Professor Ritch Savin-Williams, the chairman of human development at Cornell University and the author of seven books, most of which deal with adolescent development and same-sex attraction.



Source: NY Times; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/05/opinion/05blow.html?src=tp

Onward to a more tolerant society! :)

[sakabatou]

1. Huzzuh!

[MrScorpio]

2. I think that the laws allowing gay marriage in some states recently has a lot to do with it

Once those actions happened, then it was like, "Ok, We'll accept it."

Which I think is plenty of confirmation for moving AHEAD of the so-called opinion curve when it comes to ensuring full civil rights for everyone, including the LGBT in all of our lives.

[tavalon]

3. I've mentioned this a number of times without graphs

The homophobes have already lost the war, by age attrition. The younger the person, the less likely they are to be against gay people.

[XemaSab]

4. As the third point says

even older Americans are coming around.

My grandmother is a hardcore Christian (though on the left), and she is personally disgusted by gay behavior, but she also thinks it's NOT a choice, and NOT a sin.

The more gay people are out, proud, and honest the more that middle America sees that they're not predators, they didn't choose this, and they're productive members of society (all of which the crazy Christian right would have you disbelieve).

[tavalon]

6. My grandparents were never even that tolerant

And yet, even though I was raised during my teens by them, I'm completely okay with LGBT - my only gripe is they won't add a P and aren't nearly as supportive of us as we are of them.

I didn't notice that third part. It really is becoming normalized. As it should be. Thank you to all the famous gays who have come out of the closet. You really helped your brothers and sisters.

[jp11]

5. Yes, more people (mostly slow men) understanding that people are just people.

Hopefully the rate of understanding this basic concept won't take nearly as long to get even higher than it did to get to near 50% FFS.