Despite the vitriol showcased in the state legislature these days, a vast majority of its constituents support laws that protect gay and transgender people from discrimination, a new study says.
Texas Wins, the coalition of LGBT light fighting the darkness of anti-gay shenanigans in the state, commissioned the statewide poll. You may remember its campaign manager, lesbian Houstonian, outspoken local rights advocate and the nation's “Most Inspiring Latina” Christina Gorczynski.
However you slice it, Texas is catching up to the times, and the legislature needs to catch up to the people, Gorczynski says in a prepared statement.
“Texas lawmakers have filed a flurry of bills to enshrine discrimination against gay and transgender people under the guise of religious liberty,” she says. “But it’s clear that Texans don’t support allowing people to use religion as a weapon to harm others. No matter what questions we asked, a strong majority of Texans favored equality, regardless of political party.”
The full study results also show a strong majority of state residents think that LGBT discrimination is a problem. A majority also opposes “religious freedom” laws like the ones bandied about in several states, including Texas, this year.
Key findings from the survey, conducted in April by G Squared Public Strategies:
- More than half of the poll’s respondents identified as conservative and three-quarters said religion is extremely or very important to them personally.
- A strong majority of voters believe that discrimination against the gay and transgender community is a problem.
- Nearly 63% of voters would also support a law protecting these individuals from discrimination.
- A majority of Republicans are concerned about discrimination and support efforts to protect gay and transgender individuals from employment discrimination.
- Despite their personal commitment to religion, when asked about religious exemption laws generally, more than 52% of voters opposed such laws.
- Voters overwhelmingly believe that religious freedom is protected by the U.S. Constitution, and that protecting religious freedom has fostered healthy diversity in American culture.
- While they value religious freedom, 79% of voters believe that this freedom does not give individuals license to hurt others.
- A strong majority of voters reject the notion that gay marriage threatens religious freedom.
