November 15, 2006

Abstract: - Most adults in the United States believe same-sex partnerships should be legally acknowledged, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News. 30 per cent of respondents think gays and lesbians should be allowed to legally marry, while 30 per cent support a similar legal partnership that should not be called marriage.

- Most adults in the United States believe same-sex partnerships should be legally acknowledged, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News. 30 per cent of respondents think gays and lesbians should be allowed to legally marry, while 30 per cent support a similar legal partnership that should not be called marriage.

Conversely, 32 per cent of respondents believe there should be no legal recognition to gay and lesbian relationships.

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, the first state-sanctioned homosexual weddings in the U.S.

Civil union and domestic partnership laws in Vermont, Connecticut and California grant same-sex couples all state-level rights and obligations of marriage—in areas such as inheritance, income tax, insurance and hospital visitation. There are more than 1,000 federal-level rights of marriage that cannot be granted by states.

On Jun. 7, a proposal to enact a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage failed in the Senate after a 49-48 vote. On Jul. 18, a House of Representatives effort to constitutionally prohibit any form of marriage other than one "between a man and a woman" fell 46 votes short of the 289 required to pass.

Over the past two years, 19 American states have enacted amendments to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. Seven more approved similar measures after statewide ballots on Nov. 7.

On Nov. 8, Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, expressed satisfaction with the victories of Deval Patrick and Eliot Spitzer, saying, "Massachusetts and New York voters have elected in overwhelming landslides the first two governors ever who support marriage equality for same-sex couples. These historic victories show that support for full equality for our families is not a negative but something voters are willing to embrace enthusiastically."

Polling Data

Do you believe gays and lesbians should be:

	Nov. 2006	Jun. 2006	May 2004
Allowed to get legally married	30%	27%	25%
Allowed a legal partnership similar to but not called marriage	30%	25%	26%
There should be no legal recognition given to gay and lesbian relationships	32%	39%	40%
Don't know	7%	8%	9%

Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.