Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

New Yorkers Supportive Of Civil Unions

April 20, 2004

Credit:Flag courtesy of ITA's Flags of All Countries used with permission.

(CPOD) Apr. 20, 2004 - Many New Yorkers reject the possibility of wedlock for gay and lesbian partners, according to a poll by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. 55 per cent of respondents are opposed to same-sex marriage.

On Feb. 24, United States president George W. Bush asked the U.S. Congress to enact an amendment that would define marriage as the union between a man and a woman.

The New York state community of New Paltz issued certificates for same-sex partners in March. Two Unitarian Universalist ministers—Kay Greenleaf and Dawn Sangrey—were charged with multiple counts of "solemnizing a marriage without a license" on Mar. 15. The ministers performed 13 ceremonies for same-sex couples. Jason West, mayor of New Paltz, pleaded "not guilty" to similar charges on Mar. 5.

New Yorkers support giving same-sex couples some of the legal rights of married couples. 52 per cent of respondents back the concept of civil unions for gay and lesbian partners, which are currently available only in the state of Vermont.

Polling Data

Do you support or oppose same-sex marriage?

Support

37%

Oppose

55%

Do you support or oppose civil unions?

Support

52%

Oppose

40%

Source: Quinnipiac University Polling Institute
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,279 New York state voters, conducted from Apr. 5 to Apr. 12, 2004. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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