A new poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute reveals that a majority of Americans who consider themselves religious, regardless of their denomination, support the right for LGBT Americans to marry the person they love and 70 percent support protection for LGBT people in the workplace. The poll sheds a light of truth on the deception that people of faith do not agree with LGBT marriage equality.
Nearly three-quarters of religiously unaffiliated Americans (73 percent) favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry, as do majorities of Jewish Americans (83 percent), white mainline Protestants (62 percent), white Catholics (58 percent) and Hispanic Catholics (56 percent), according to a poll whose results were released Wednesday by the Public Religion Research Institute in Washington, D.C. However, 59% of black Protestants and 69% of white evangelicals oppose same-sex marriage.
“While many churches and people in the pews have been moving away from their opposition to LGBT rights over the last decade, this new research provides further evidence that negative teachings on this issue have hurt churches’ ability to attract and retain young people,” said PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones.
Regular churchgoers, those who attend services at least once or twice a month, underestimate the level of support from their fellow worshippers.
Majorities of Americans believe that the Catholic, Mormon, and evangelical churches are hostile to LGBT people, whereas fewer view mainline Protestant churches, African-American churches, and Jewish congregations in a negative light.
This poll shows that the words from religious leaders trying to deny the LGBT community the right to marry the one they love, do not reflect the core beliefs of their church members. Is your church LGBT friendly and supportive? Share your faith story with GLAAD.
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