A lot of legislative action has to take place before gay people are equal before the law in this country. But legislative action depends on popular support for gay rights. One thing I wonder about: what are the most effective ways to increase popular acceptance of homosexuality?
I think the media's on our side here -- Queer Eye, Will & Grace, Buffy... there are a lot of positive gay characters out there. And even if they're sometimes stereotypical, positive stereotypes probably help the legislative cause more than they hurt it.
For my part (I'm in a philosophy Ph.D program) I'm going to always do a week on gay rights when I become a professor and teach those Contemporary Moral Issues classes that many colleges require. As a TA, I've seen that students generally agree on how pathetic the anti-gay-rights arguments are, once they have to evaluate them.
Demographics are on our side too... given this data, I imagine full gay marriage will be legalized in most places 20-25 years from now. Sometimes progress occurs birth by birth and funeral by funeral.
CBS News/New York Times Poll. July 13-27, 2003.
N=3,092 adults nationwide. MoE ± 2 (total sample).
"Would you favor or oppose a law that would allow homosexual couples to marry, giving them the same legal rights as other married couples?"
ALL
FAVOR 40
OPPOSE 55
NO OPINION 5
18-29 years
61
35
4
30-44
40
55
5
45-64
38
58
4
65 & older
18
73
9
Any suggestions about effective things individuals, both gay and straight, can do?
