A recent Gallup poll reported that Americans generally agree about what issues are “morally acceptable” (gambling, divorce) and which were “morally unacceptable” (human cloning, polygamy). But in four categories, the difference between “morally acceptable” and “morally unacceptable” were within 15 percentage points of each other: doctor assisted suicide, gay or lesbian relations, abortion, and having a baby outside of marriage.
Acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships, the topic of today’s post, just recently surpassed the 50 percent threshold, with more support from men than from women. Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts
, and Connecticut have also just recently begun recognizing same-sex wedlock. Sweden, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands,
Norway, South Africa, and Spain have all also legalized it. So while it may be taking hold around the globe, the United States might not be so quick to accept gay marriage anytime soon. Check out the picture to the right depicting states that have voted to ban gay marriage in their constitutions.
Personally? I don’t think gay relationships are “morally unacceptable”, but I do believe that the term “marriage” should be reserved for a union of a man and a woman. Let’s call formal gay relationships “unions”, or “espousals”, or “amalgamations”.
