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Wednesday, November 9, 2011
News Increase in same-sex households shows N.C. General Assembly is out of touch
Posted By Cheris Hodges on Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 11:52 AM
Next year, North Carolina will vote on an amendment that would ban gay marriage in the state. However, if you look at several recent polls about gay marriage, most people aren't opposed to them. In fact, most people are opposed to denying couples the right to marry.
For one thing, there are more gay households in the U.S. than ever before. According to The Week news magazine, U.S. Census data shows the number of gay unions has exploded.
Proponents of legal recognition for same-sex partnerships had a big decade between 2000 and 2010, and new U.S. Census Bureau figures reflect that shift. The 2010 census was the first to allow gay couples to list themselves as married — a status that wasn't legally available before 2004 — but the number of recorded same-sex households of all sorts surged, according to initial estimates released in August. While the bureau's new "preferred estimate" of gay households released Tuesday marks a sizable drop from those August numbers, it's still a "tremendous increase" over previous figures with wide-ranging implications, says Brian Moulton at the Human Rights Campaign. These gay couples aren't "suddenly popping out of nowhere," either, he adds. The new data reflect the "degree people feel comfortable coming out on the census form."
What's more, average North Carolinians have made it clear they don't want the government in our bedrooms, according to a QNotes report on the results of an Elon College poll.
Statewide LGBT advocacy and education group Equality North Carolina has released new data from a recent Elon University poll showing a majority of North Carolinians oppose an anti-LGBT state constitutional amendment that would ban marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples.The new data contradicts an earlier poll by Durham’s Public Policy Polling and demonstrates opposition to the amendment from a majority of North Carolinians of all ages and races.
On Oct. 12, Public Policy Polling released the results of a Sept. 30-Oct. 3 poll of 671 primary voters that showed the amendment leading 61-34 percent. The Elon University poll, which surveyed voters and non-voters alike, was conducted Sept. 25-29 and showed 56 percent opposed to the amendment.
Of particular note is high opposition to the amendment from African-American voters. Sixty-six percent of African-Americans polled by Elon are opposed to the amendment. Sixty-nine percent favor some sort of legal recognition of same-sex couples’ relationships.
So, why is there such an urgent push in North Carolina? The American Independent says it's because of three very vocal organizations.
A trio of groups were behind the successful push to place a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage, as well as civil unions and domestic partnerships for gay and lesbian couples, on the 2012 primary ballot in North Carolina. Those groups — the Christian Action League, Return America and the North Carolina Family Policy Council — have a history of not only opposing any rights for LGBT people but of also making false and inflammatory statements about the LGBT community.
Seems some of the politicians in Raleigh are just listening to the wrong people.
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