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Survey: Texas Voters Support Most Steps Toward LGBT Equality, But Not Marriage

A poll commissioned by Equality Texas revealed good news and bad news regarding Texas voters’ attitudes about LGBT equality in their state.

Equality Texas commissioned the national polling firm Glengariff Group, Inc., to conduct a random sample live operator telephone survey baseline poll of 1,000 registered voters in Texas on 12 different rights as they pertain to lesbian, gay, and transgender citizens. Respondents indicated by an 80 percent majority that they overwhelmingly support passage of legislation that would provide direction to Texas teachers on how to protect all children from bullying, harassment, and discrimination in school, including the children of gay and lesbian parents or teenagers who are gay.

The poll also found that the majority of respondents support equal treatment for lesbian and gay families in the realms of hospital visitation (88 percent), equal rights with respect to their children (69 percent), and the right to make end-of-life decisions for a partner (75 percent). They also supported prohibiting discrimination in employment and housing based on sexual orientation (75 percent) and gender identity (70 percent).

The greatest movement toward full equality has been around support for relationship recognition. By an almost two-to-one margin (63 percent to 30 percent), respondents said they support allowing gay and lesbian couples to get a civil union.

The only two rights short of majority support are recognition of marriages of same-sex couples performed in another state that allows them (48 percent support and 46 percent oppose), and allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry in Texas (43 percent support and 53 percent oppose).

The survey was conducted on August 29 through September 2, 2010, and has margin of error of ±3.1 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence. — Nancy Ford

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