As acceptance of homosexuality grows in U.S., slim plurality still opposes gay ‘marriage’
Image via WikipediaA new poll published by the Pew Research Center indicates that “homosexuality” is becoming increasingly acceptable among Americans, although a very slim plurality still opposes the label “marriage” for sexual unions between people of the same gender.
The poll also indicates that more Americans regard homosexual parenting as a negative, rather than positive, trend.
According to the poll, 58% of Americans say that “homosexuality” should be accepted, rather than discouraged, by society—without specifying if the term includes homosexual behavior.
However, 46% oppose homosexual “marriage” while only 45% support it. Thirty-five percent believe that more homosexual parents are a “bad thing for society” while only 14 percent believe it is a “good thing for society.” A near-majority, 48%, believes it “does not make much difference.”
The poll did not ask Americans if they approve of homosexual acts. However, a 2010 Gallup Poll found that a majority, 52%, regard such acts as “morally acceptable.” Only 43% regard them as “morally unacceptable.”
The Pew poll shows rapid gains for the homosexual movement in recent years. Since 2007, rejection of increased rates of homosexual parenting has plummeted from 50% to 35%.
Despite the Catholic Church’s condemnation of homosexual sex acts, and its teaching that homosexual orientation is “intrinsically disordered,” 64% of Catholics responded that homosexuality should be “accepted”—again, without specifying homosexuality behavior. Only 48% of Protestants believe that homosexuality should be “accepted.”
