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A Third of Americans Favour Same-Sex Marriage
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States remain divided on the legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 36 per cent of respondents believe same-sex couples should be allowed to legally marry, while 23 per cent think they should form civil unions.
In addition, 32 per cent of Americans think same-sex couples should not have any kind of legal recognition.
In Britain, 41 per cent of respondents support same-sex marriage, while 37 per cent prefer the concept of civil partnerships. In Canada, 61 per cent think same-sex couples should continue to be allowed to legally marry.
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. Same-sex marriage is also legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia.
In May 2008, California’s Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex marriage in a 4-3 decision, effectively allowing full marriage rights to homosexual partners. In November 2008, 52.5 per cent of voters in California endorsed Proposition 8, which seeks to amend the state Constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman.
A U.S. District Court is currently reviewing the constitutional validity of California’s Proposition 8. The case was filed after Kristin Perry and Sandra Steir were denied a marriage license in the Alameda County in May 2009, because they are both women. It is expected that the case will eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court, which may have to rule about the validity of same-sex marriage at the federal level.
Last month, British Prime Minister David Cameron discussed his views on same-sex unions, saying, "I am pleased to announce that we are taking a further step, and I think a good step and a right step—and I say this as someone who believes in marriage, who believes in civil partnership, who believes in commitment—and that is to say that if religious organizations, if churches, if mosques, if temples want to have civil partnerships celebrated at religious places of worship, that should be able to happen and we should make that happen."
Same-sex marriage is currently legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland and Argentina. At least 24 countries offer some form of legal recognition to same-sex unions.
Polling Data
Canada - Which of these statements comes closer to your own point of view on the legal recognition of same-sex couples in Canada?
Jul. 2010 |
Aug. 2009 |
|
Same-sex couples should continue to be allowed to legally marry |
61% |
61% |
Same-sex couples should be allowed to form civil unions, but not marry |
23% |
23% |
Same-sex couples should not have any kind of legal recognition |
13% |
11% |
Not sure |
3% |
4% |
United States - Which of these statements comes closer to your own point of view on the legal recognition of same-sex couples in the U.S.?
Jul. 2010 |
Aug. 2009 |
|
Same-sex couples should be allowed to legally marry |
36% |
33% |
Same-sex couples should be allowed to form civil unions, but not marry |
23% |
25% |
Same-sex couples should not have any kind of legal recognition |
32% |
36% |
Not sure |
9% |
5% |
Britain - Which of these statements comes closer to your own point of view on the legal recognition of same-sex couples in the UK?
Jul. 2010 |
Aug. 2009 |
|
Same-sex couples should be allowed to legally marry |
41% |
41% |
Same-sex couples should be allowed to form civil partnerships, but not marry |
37% |
37% |
Same-sex couples should not have any kind of legal recognition |
15% |
18% |
Not sure |
7% |
5% |
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,003 Canadian adults, 1,002 American adults, and 1,980 British adults, conducted from Jul. 12 to Jul. 16, 2010. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent in Canada and the United States, and 2.2 per cent for Britain.