(CPOD) Nov. 25, 2004 - Proposals on how to provide legal recognition for gay and lesbian couples continue to split views in the United States, according to a poll by Gallup released by CNN and USA Today. 21 per cent of respondents say same-sex partners should be allowed to legally marry.

Marriage certificates were issued to same-sex couples by local governments in the states of California, Oregon, New Mexico and New York earlier this year. In May, the state of Massachusetts allowed gay and lesbian partners to apply for marriage licenses, the first state-sanctioned homosexual weddings in the U.S.

Civil unions—currently available only in the state of Vermont—give same-sex partners some of the legal rights of married couples such as inheritance, insurance and hospital visiting privileges. 32 per cent of respondents support this concept, while 43 per cent say there should be no legal recognition for gay and lesbian relationships.

In July, U.S. president George W. Bush renewed his call for a federal constitutional amendment to block same-sex unions, saying, "American democracy, not court orders, should decide the future of marriage in America." The U.S. Senate eventually voted 50 to 48 to end deliberations on the issue.

Earlier this month, voters in 11 American states enacted amendments to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman.

Polling Data

Which of the following arrangements between gay or lesbian couples do you think should be recognized as legally valid—same-sex marriages, civil unions, but not same-sex marriages, or neither same-sex marriages nor civil unions?

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