(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – One-in-three adults in the United States support same-sex marriage, according to a poll by CBS News. 33 per cent of respondents believe gay couples should be allowed to marry, up five points in two years.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – One-in-three adults in the United States support same-sex marriage, according to a poll by CBS News. 33 per cent of respondents believe gay couples should be allowed to marry, up five points in two years.
Conversely, 27 per cent of respondents think gay couples should be allowed to form civil unions but not legally marry, while 35 per cent believe there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship.
In 2004, marriage certificates were issued to same-sex couples by local governments in the states of California, Oregon, New Mexico and New York. In May 2004, the state of Massachusetts allowed gay and lesbian partners to apply for marriage licenses. In May 2008, California’s Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex marriage in a 4-3 decision, effectively allowing full marriage rights to homosexual partners.
Civil union and domestic partnership laws in Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey grant same-sex couples all state-level rights and obligations of marriage—in areas such as inheritance, income tax, insurance and hospital visitation. Other forms of domestic partnership exist in California, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oregon and Washington State. There are more than 1,000 federal-level rights of marriage that cannot be granted by states.
Same-sex marriage is currently legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa and Norway. At least 21 countries offer some form of legal recognition to same-sex unions.
In November 2008, 52.5 per cent of voters in California endorsed Proposition 8, which seeks to amend the state Constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman.
On Apr. 1, lawmakers in Sweden’s Diet voted 226-22 to recognize same-sex marriage in the country. The law—which allows homosexual partners to wed in civil or religious ceremonies, while letting individual churches to opt out—will come into force on May 1.
The Swedish government issued a statement, which read: "The decision means that gender no longer has an impact on the ability to marry and that the law on registered partnership is repealed." Out of the seven parties represented in the Swedish Diet, only the Christian-Democrats (KD)—who are part of the ruling coalition of centre-right parties—opposed the new law.
Polling Data
Which comes closest to your view?
|
Mar. 2009 |
Jun. 2008 |
Mar. 2007 |
|
|
Gay couples should be allowed to legally marry |
33% |
30% |
28% |
|
Gay couples should be allowed to form civil unions but not legally marry |
27% |
28% |
32% |
|
There should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship |
35% |
36% |
35% |
|
Not sure |
5% |
6% |
5% |
Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,142 American adults, conducted from Mar. 12 to Mar. 16, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
