America's Changing Attitudes toward Homosexuality, Civil Unions, and Same-Gender Marriage: 1977-2004

Abstract

On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-gender marriage. From California to Missouri, nearly all states now face legislative challenges to the once firmly entrenched notion that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. Public opinion polls conducted from 1977 to 2004 found that Americans' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians and marriages or civil unions for same-gender couples have evolved. Opposition persists, however. The most recent data indicate support for some legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples, but most Americans favor civil unions over same-gender marriages. Although the future of civil unions and same-gender marriages remains uncertain, social workers can serve gay and lesbian clients and their families best by staying informed of the attendant legal, social, and policy issues.

The “Persuadable Middle” on Same-Sex Marriage: Formative Research to Build Support among Heterosexual College Students

“…Policy debates about same-sex marriage span both federal and state levels of government and have considerable implications for gay and lesbian couples (Woodford 2010). Pollsters and academic researchers have investigated opinions about same-sex marriage since the 1990s (Avery et al 2007;Brewer and Wilcox 2005). Studies have identified covariates of opinions toward same-sex marriage; however, research has not investigated the covariates of reporting "neutral" or "undecided."…”

“…For example, 65% of the respondents in the 2010 American Freshman Survey supported same-sex marriage (Pryor et al 2010); whereas a recent Gallop Poll found 53% of Americans favor this policy option (Newport 2011). Additionally, college students elect a neutral or unsure response at much higher rates (between 15% and 21%; Cluse-Tolar et al 2005;Jenkins et al 2007;Lannutti and Lachlan 2008;Swank and Raiz 2010) than the general public (<5%; see Avery et al 2007;Brewer and Wilcox 2005), thereby indicating that college students, and younger generations more generally, may also be a particularly persuadable demographic group.…”

''Walking on eggshells to not offend people": Experiences of same-sex student couples at a South African university

“…Globally, attitudes towards LGBT individuals and same-sex relationships have become increasingly more accepting, although active opposition against equal rights for these individuals still exist (Camilleri and Ryan 2006;Ellis 2009;Avery, Chase, Johansson, Litvak, Montero and Wydra 2007). Research, however, indicates that acceptance of same-sex relationships varies across social contexts, e.g., countries and faculties.…”

The Influence of Declining Homophobia on Men’s Gender in the United States: An Argument for the Study of Homohysteria

“…Given that public attitudes play a key role in determining legislation, homophobia has historically been enshrined in U.S. public policy (Burstein 1998). Yet researching these attitudes is complex, as they can pertain to: sexual acts (Keleher and Smith 2012); individuals and sexual identities (Seidman 2002); personal morality (Loftus 2001); and civil rights (Avery et al 2007). There also exists variance in attitudes pertaining to gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender identities (Worthen 2013), and it is thus important to 4 examine attitudes toward these groups individually, as well as investigating their intersectionality with other modes of oppression (Crenshaw 1991).…”