WASHINGTON – New data from the Pew Research Center shows marriage equality ranks last among the top concerns of voters ahead of the 2012 elections. Support for LGBT equality is increasing and issues pertaining to the LGBT community are no longer a “wedge” for voters, representing a remarkable turnaround in the last 8 years. The Pew poll is just the latest piece of evidence pointing to Americans’ broad support for equality. A 2011 Gallup poll found 53 percent of Americans support marriage equality; while a Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll recently found that an astounding 85 percent of people of faith say their religious beliefs lead them to the conclusion that LGBT people should be treated equally under the law.
As a growing number of Americans support equality for LGBT people and oppose discrimination, demonizing LGBT people is becoming increasingly perilous for any politician or organization. Last month, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released strategic documents outlining the National Organization for Marriage’s (NOM) plan to drive a wedge between the LGBT community and other minority communities; while NOM founder Maggie Gallagher often claims being anti-marriage equality is a “winning issue.” But the Pew data – along with data that points to strong Latino and African American support for a wide array of equality issues – soundly repudiates NOM’s strategy and continued false assertions.
“Americans care about job creation and providing for their families. This latest data reinforces the fact that supporting LGBT equality is not a divisive wedge issue, but rather just common sense,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese.
The Pew poll identified the economy, jobs and the budget deficit as weighing most heavily on voters’ minds. Other issues of importance include healthcare, education, energy, taxes, terrorism, and the environment.
