A new poll finds that the majority of Americans believe that marriage equality is a civil rights issue, and that it will inevitably become legal – whether they support it or not.
According to the survey by the Southern Baptist Church-affiliated LifeWay Research, 58 percent of American adults believe that same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue, and 64 percent believe it is inevitable same-sex marriage will become legal throughout the United States.
The poll also found many Americans believe that certain professions should be allowed to refuse their services to same-sex couples.
According to the findings:
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
- 63 percent agree that pastors should be allowed to refuse to officiate same-sex weddings if they are made legal in their state;
- 58 percent agree that photographers should be allowed to refuse to work same-sex weddings if they are made legal in their state;
- 40 percent agree that rental halls should be allowed to refuse to rent out their facilities for same-sex weddings if they are made legal in their state;
- 27 percent agree landlords should be allowed to refuse to rent housing to same-sex couples if same-sex marriage is made legal in their state;
- 14 percent agree employers should be allowed to refuse employment to someone based on their sexual preference.
Article continues below
“While a majority of Americans categorize homosexuality as a civil rights issue like age, race and gender, and almost two-thirds think legalization of same-sex marriage in the U.S. is evitable, the research does show lines and divisions on these issues clearly exist in our country,” Stetzer said.
