Only 40% of Americans believe that people are born gay or lesbian, while 42% believe being homosexual is “due to factors such as upbringing and environment,” according to a new Gallup study.
“Americans who believe same-sex orientation is inherent in individuals are much more likely to support legal gay and lesbian relations, and much more likely to view them as morally acceptable, than are those who believe it has its origins in environmental factors,” the study finds.
READ: American Support For Same-Sex Relationships Higher Than Ever – New Poll
The 40% who believe people are “born this way,” to quote a gay anthem à  la Lady Gaga, represents a tremendous increase, up from only 13% in 1978. Worse, in that year, just three decades ago, a majority of Americans, 56%, believed that being gay or lesbian had to do with “upbringing and environment.” In other words, parents were to blame for their children being homosexual, which fed into the shame families had, and which fed into the false concept that being gay is a choice, or something controllable.
In 1992, the 56% of Americans who blamed families for their children’s homosexuality was shrinking, and the 13% who believed “born this way” was how gays were made was growing, to just over 20%. A “Dear Abby” column that year, “Gay Men And Gay Women Are Indeed Born That Way,” reiterated the concept.
Today, however, anti-gay organizations, like the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), and anti-gay hate groups, like the American Family Association, continue to push the false narrative that homosexuality is a choice, and support the work of discredited anti-gay “ex-gay” ministries. Increasingly, we see NOM moving toward the so-called religious side of the argument, where they had previously attempted — or so it seemed — to be perceived as secular. Also, this false “choice” concept has been exported to extremely homophobic countries like Uganda, thanks in large part to American Evangelicals.
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