Six in 10 Republicans would be upset if they had a child who told them he or she was gay, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll.
Twenty-three percent of Republicans surveyed said they’d be “very upset” and 37 percent would be “upset.” Just 38 percent said they’d either be “not very upset” or “not upset at all.”
By contrast, a total of 28 percent of Democrats would be either “very upset” or “upset” if their child came out as gay or lesbian. Seventy percent said they wouldn’t be upset.
Among all national adults surveyed, 35 percent said they’d be upset while 62 percent said they would not be.
The findings reflect significant partisan divisions in attitudes toward gay rights amid a national sea change for gay equality. A similar poll conducted in 1985 by the Los Angeles Times found that a whopping 89 percent of adults said they’d be upset if their child was gay; just 9 percent said they’d be okay with it.
In the McClatchy-Marist poll, large majorities in every political category said they had a friend, colleague or family member who was gay.
Large majorities of voters across the spectrum said they have no problem voting for a candidate nominated by their party who was gay or lesbian, including 67 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of Democrats.
The survey interviewed 1,035 adults across the United States from Aug. 4-7, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Some other things Republicans don’t want their kids to be: tolerant, unselfish, educated, unarmed and intellectually curious.
Having been through this, resisting it (which I didn’t, for the record) only makes it worse. It was weird - she was a borderline behavioral problem and once she got that off her chest she was cooperative, helpful, respectful, everything.
Of course Republicans would be upset if their child was gay – they invest so much of their energy making life difficult for those who are.
More upsetting to me? Those gay Republican children might join Log Cabin Republicans.
My daughter is president of the GSA (gay-straight alliance) at her high school, but is straight, I believe. I am proud of the way she stands up for what she believes in. However, if she were to come out as gay, I would probably be categorized as ‘somewhat upset’. Not that she is gay, but because of the widespread discrimination she would face in the future. Many people still seem to believe that sexuality is a choice, and it is not.