A
majority
of
teenagers
—
often
considered
more
progressive
and
gay-friendly
than
older
generations
—
do
not
approve
of
legalizing
marriage
between
gay
couples,
a
Gallup
poll
released
last
week
suggests.
In
a
poll
released
by
the
Gallup
Organization
Oct.
28,
when
asked
whether
they
approved
or
disapproved
of
“marriages
between
homosexuals,”
55
percent
of
teens
said
they
disapproved,
while
42
percent
said
they
approved.
But
the
poll
also
revealed
a
sharp
divide
on
the
issue
along
gender
lines,
with
nearly
twice
as
many
girls
than
boys
expressing
approval
for
same-sex
marriages.
Evan
Wolfson,
executive
director
of
the
same-sex
marriage
advocacy
group
Freedom
to
Marry,
said
the
poll
results
contradicted
results
from
other
recent
polls.
“This
poll
is
a
little
bit
at
odds
with
every
other
poll
we’ve
seen,
…
in
which,
overwhelmingly,
young
people
strongly
support
ending
discrimination
in
marriage,”
Wolfson
said.
The
poll
was
conducted
among
517
respondents
aged
13
to
17.
It
had
a
5
percent
margin
of
error.
According
to
the
poll,
45
percent
of
teens
aged
13
to
15
approved
of
same-sex
marriages,
compared
to
only
38
percent
of
teens
aged
16
and
17.
Perhaps
more
noteworthy
is
the
sharp
contrast
in
responses
given
by
boys
and
girls.
Fifty-six
percent
of
the
girls
surveyed
said
they
approved
of
same-sex
marriages,
as
opposed
to
only
30
percent
of
the
boys.
“It’s
only
boys
by
a
large
number
who,
by
the
poll
and
by
the
way
it
was
worded,
gave
a
negative
answer,”
Wolfson
said.
“I
would
bet
you
any
poll
they
asked
teenage
boys
using
the
word
‘homosexual’
would
invite
a
negative
response.
And
of
course,
that’s
a
sad
statement
of
how
vulnerable
these
boys
are,
and
the
importance
of
combating
a
negative
message
with
an
affirmative
message
about
gay
people
and
marriage.”
Wolfson
said
the
results
could
have
been
skewed
because
of
the
question’s
wording.
He
ventured
that
more
of
the
teens,
including
the
boys,
would
have
expressed
approval
for
same-sex
marriage
if
the
poll
had
asked
whether
they
approved
of
discriminating
against
gays
by
denying
same-sex
partners
the
same
rights
afforded
to
opposite-sex
couples
in
marriage.
Numerous
calls
to
critics
of
gay
marriage,
including
the
Concerned
Women
for
America
and
Peter
LaBarbera,
the
former
senior
policy
analyst
for
the
Culture
&
Family
Institute,
seeking
comment
about
the
poll
were
not
returned
by
press
time.
Polls
in
two
states
where
the
marriage
battle
has
been
hotly
debated
recently
show
broad
support
for
legal
recognition
of
same-sex
unions.
A
strong
majority
of
Massachusetts
residents
support
civil
marriages
for
gay
couples,
and
nearly
four-fifths
are
opposed
to
attempts
to
amend
the
state’s
Constitution
to
explicitly
deny
gay
couples
the
same
rights
as
married
heterosexuals,
according
to
a
poll
released
Oct.
30
by
the
national
polling
group
Decision
Research.
Since
July,
the
Massachusetts
Supreme
Court
has
withheld
a
decision
that
many
gay
activists
hope
will
make
the
state
the
first
in
the
country
to
legalize
same-sex
marriages.
A
ruling
is
expected
at
any
time.
In
the
Massachusetts
poll,
59
percent
of
the
600
people
interviewed
said
they
support
extending
civil
marriages
to
gay
couples,
compared
to
35
percent
who
said
they
did
not.
Support
was
highest
among
women,
Democrats,
non-married
people
and
people
with
college
degrees,
and
was
virtually
equally
distributed
throughout
the
state’s
various
regions.
But
Massachusetts
residents
were
even
more
sharply
opposed
to
the
prospect
of
the
state
passing
a
constitutional
amendment
prohibiting
civil
marriage
for
gay
couples;
by
a
margin
of
79
percent
to
20
percent,
respondents
said
the
government
had
more
important
priorities
than
passing
such
a
ban.
At
the
same
time,
a
survey
by
Northern
Arizona
University
showed
that
more
Arizona
residents
oppose
than
support
legal
marriages
for
gay
couples,
but
a
majority
do
support
allowing
gays
to
enter
into
civil
unions
that
would
give
them
many
of
the
same
rights
as
married
couples.
The
Arizona
Court
of
Appeals
ruled
last
month
that
same-sex
couples
do
not
have
the
fundamental
right
to
marry
after
a
gay
couple
sued
the
state
for
marriage
rights.
In
the
Arizona
poll,
54
percent
of
the
610
residents
surveyed
said
they
opposed
allowing
gays
to
legally
marry,
compared
to
42
percent
who
were
in
favor.
But
those
numbers
nearly
flip-flopped
when
the
same
was
asked
about
the
prospect
of
gays
entering
into
marriage-like
civil
unions:
53
percent
supported
that
idea,
while
43
percent
were
opposed.
Wolfson
said
those
numbers
are
“very
encouraging.”
“Just
a
few
points’
shift
would
put
us
in
the
majority,
and
that’s
in
Arizona,”
Wolfson
said.
“We’re
talking
about
marriage
for
gay
people,
and
only
55
percent
vote
against
it
in
Arizona.
That’s
tremendous
progress.”
Both
polls
had
a
4
percent
margin
of
error.
“Clearly
the
momentum
is
with
us,”
Wolfson
said.
“And
if
we
engage
in
this
dialogue
and
repel
the
attacks,
we
will
win.”
