Barely More Than One Out of Four Republicans Agree
The majority of Americans say new laws to protect LGBT people are needed, but barely more than one out of four Republicans agree. According to a new Gallup study, 51 percent of Americans say they support new civil rights protections for lesbians, gay men, and bisexual and transgender people. But just 27 percent of Republicans agree.
There are strong swings across the spectrum.
Those supporting new laws protecting LGBT people include 76% of liberals, 67% of Democrats, and 61% of women.
Opposed to new protections are 70% of Republicans, 68% of conservatives, and 58% of men.
“More than half of 18- to 49-year-olds say new laws are needed, while less than half of those 50 and older agree,” Gallup reports. “Though whites have been more supportive of same-sex marriage, nonwhites are more likely to say that new civil rights laws should be created.”
Gallup adds that Americans “are about as likely to say transgender individuals should be required to use a bathroom that corresponds to their birth gender (48%) as to say a transgender person should be allowed to use a bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity (45%).”
The Southern Poverty Law Center reported that from the day after the presidential election to December 12, 109 anti-LGBT incidents across the nation were reported. (There were also 315 anti-immigrant, 221 anti-Black, 112 anti-Muslim, and 26 anti-Trump incidents.)
It’s important to note that the vast majority of Americans already believe discrimination against LGBT people is illegal, even though in the majority of states across the country it is not. That appears to be ignored in the questioning, and could affect the results.
Also, an increasing number of people, supported by several federal court rulings, already believe the Civil Rights Act of 1964 already protects LGBT people from discrimination, which could also impact the results.
NCRM has reached out to Gallup asking for a response to those and other questions. We will update this article when we hear back.
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Image by Alan Light via Flickr and a CC license