Even Republicans Mostly Fine With LGBTQ People Now, So PASS THE DAMN EQUALITY ACT

Figure it out, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.

We come to this post not to praise Republicans, for they deserve nothing.

However, a new poll from Public Religion Research Institute just came out, and it shows that for the first time ever a majority of just about EVERYONE is fine with same-sex marriage, and also nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people. That includes a majority of Republicans.

No, stop that, do not pat them on their backs, they've just transferred their hate elsewhere. If you've been watching the news lately, you know some of them have really transferred it onto the "T" in "LGBTQ." But there's even progress there.

OK, so first the gay marriage part, you know, with the men marrying men and the women marrying women, and whatnot. Despite how Wonkette proclaimed boldly in 2015 that the "Supreme Court Says We Are All Gay-Married Now," when its decision granting marriage equality to the whole land came down, not all Americans are in fact currently gay-married. There is still work to be done.

But support for marriage equality was up to fully 67 percent of the American people, or two-thirds, in 2020. PRRI notes that in 2019 it was 62 percent. (In 2007, when this whole fight was getting going in earnest, it was only 36 percent. My how the needle has moved!)

Among Republicans, support for marriage equality is now at 51 percent.

As for religious affiliation, literally everybody with all their gods is fine with marriage equality except white evangelicals, who remain God's shittiest cohort, with only 43 percent supporting marriage equality. Here are some other numbers on that:

• White Catholics: 75 percent

• White regular protestants: 72 percent

• Hispanic Catholics: 71 percent

• Black protestants: 57 percent

• Jewish people: 80 percent

Even freaking MORMONS are up to 51 percent support. What's got their magic underpants all a-twist? Not gay marriage!

So that's the marriage part. Then there's a whole nondiscrimination part, which is important right now since the Senate needs to pass the fucking Equality Act, to protect all LGBTQ people fromMarjorie Taylor Greenediscrimination in housing, education, employment, and the like. Turns out America would be FINE WITH THAT. Including Republicans! Fully 76 percent of Americans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, and that includes 62 percent of Republicans. Breaking it down further, 68 percent of Republican women favor protections, whereas only 57 percent of Republican men do. Which is still a large majority! (Obviously 85 percent of Democrats also support such protections.)

Oh yeah, and on that question, even the white evangelicals support protections, though their support is lowest among religious groups at 62 percent. Looked at another way, they've gotten up to 62 percent support from the white evangelicals. 

The geographic differences aren't even that big anymore, either. For example, if you are in New England, you're in an area where 77 percent support nondiscrimination protections. If you're in Texas you're in an area where ... 75 percent still support that.

There's not a ginormous urban/rural divide, either. Look, see, we will borrow one of PRRI's graphics to prove you we aren't fibbing:

One more for you: How many Americans support people refusing to bake gay cakes for gay weddings? Only 33 percent, while 61 percent are opposed. PENIS CAKES FOR EVERYONE!

Of course, Republicans come up short in that area: Only 42 percent are opposed to bakers refusing gays service for Jesus, and only 46 percent of white evangelicals.

Which brings us to the actual people who are really, fully, squarely against LGBTQ rights of all kinds. Their numbers, they are dwindling. A measly sad little 27 percent of Americans oppose marriage equality, LOL what losers. Only 19 percent oppose anti-discrimination protections overall. Let's find out more about who they are and what's wrong with them:

Not surprisingly, a majority of those most opposed to LGBTQ rights identify as Republicans (57%), compared to 26% who identify as independent and 16% who are Democrats. The vast majority who completely oppose pro-LGBTQ policies rate former president Donald Trump favorably (75%), including 46% who hold very favorable opinions of Trump. Only one in four Americans in this category (25%) view Trump unfavorably.

Among those who are completely against pro-LGBTQ policies, nearly eight in ten are white (77%), 10% are Hispanic, 6% are Black, 3% are Asian American, 3% are multiracial, and 1% are Native Americans.
White Christians make up 60% of those who are completely against pro-LGBTQ policies.

As usual, white Republican Christians are the unsafest people to be around for anyone who isn't just exactly like them. (But even there, it's getting better!)

But again, it's literally a small slice of the American public at this point who hate all the LGBTQ people. A VERY LOUD SLICE, GRANTED. But a small slice, nonetheless.

So for anybody in the Senate who thinks it would be somehow politically costly to support the Equality Act, just shut up and do it. And if you have to carve out an exception in the filibuster to do it — IT'S BEEN DONE BEFORE, JOE MANCHIN AND KYRSTEN SINEMA — then that's what you have to be a damn grown-up and do.

[ PRRI ]

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