Seven out of 10 people oppose sodomy laws

Seventy-four percent of American adults surveyed last month favor the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning antigay sodomy laws. This was the latest finding of a national online poll, released Tuesday by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive. "Even when we exclude respondents who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered, support for overturning state sodomy laws does not change significantly," said Darin Johnson, vice president at Witeck-Combs Communications. "It is clear that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe the Supreme Court should overturn all state laws that interfere with private sexual relations between consenting adults, whether same-sex or opposite-sex couples." Currently the U.S. Supreme Court is considering Lawrence v. Texas, which challenges the antigay sodomy law in Texas. These are highlights of a nationwide survey of more than 2,000 adults, of whom approximately 7% self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered. The survey was conducted online April 17-23 by Harris Interactive, with analysis of GLBT data provided by Witeck-Combs Communications Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in GLBT issues: 1) 75% of self-described Republicans oppose state laws that regulate sexual relations that occur in the private home of an adult same-sex couple in a domestic partnership (as do 88% of self-labeled Democrats). In addition, seven out of 10 Americans (70%) who characterize their personal ideology as "conservative" also oppose such laws. 2) Americans from all regions in the United States express opposition to state sodomy laws, including 76% of Southerners, 80% of Midwesterners, 88% of Westerners, and 89% of Easterners, who say they oppose state laws that regulate the private sexual relations of adult same-sex couples in a domestic partnership. 3) 66% of adults over the age of 50 agree that the U.S. Supreme Court should overturn state sodomy laws that apply solely to same-sex couples. 4) A majority of all American adults surveyed said same-sex couples who engage in private, consenting sexual relations should not be denied basic rights and opportunities: 82% opposed denial of health benefits to a couple; 87% opposed denial of rental housing; 74% opposed denial of certain jobs, such as teaching; and 59% opposed denial of the right to adopt children.