In late 2014, GLAAD commissioned a Harris Poll of over 2,000 adult (18+) Americans. The resulting report, Accelerating Acceptance, showed that despite the legislative and judicial advances towards full LGBT equality, many Americans still experience substantial discomfort with knowing an LGBT person or learning a neighbor, co-worker, friend, or family member identifies as LGBT.
One third of non-LGBT persons (straight, cisgender) said they experience discomfort when seeing a same-sex couple holding hands. The outcome is far worse for the transgender community with almost two-thirds of non-LGBT Americans stating that they would feel uncomfortable to learn that their child was dating a transgender person.
Now, for the first time, GLAAD is releasing the numbers from Deep South states in conjunction with its Southern Stories summer tour. Those numbers show that in the South, levels of LGBT acceptance are lower than the rest of the nation. Southerners polled demonstrated more discomfort than the national average, with increases of 5 to 6 percent across the board.
Last week, GLAAD launched the six-state Southern Stories Summer bus tour to accelerate acceptance of LGBT people in the South. By sharing the stories of LGBT Southerners, allies, and advocates, GLAAD hopes to promote a cultural change towards love and acceptance for all.
Sarah Katie Ellis, the CEO and President of GLAAD said, “Closing the gap to full acceptance of LGBT people will not come from legislation or judicial decisions alone, but from a deeper understanding and empathy from Americans themselves.”
GLAAD's Southern Stories Summer Tour is produced with support from Major Partner, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, and Official Partner, Honey Maid. Follow @glaad on Twitter to keep up to date on all the latest Southern Stories Summer Tour news!