7 in 10 Adult Americans Support Supreme Court Overturning Same-Sex Sodomy Laws; Witeck-Combs/Harris Interactive Research Shows Broad Public Support on Right to Privacy 6/26/2003
From: Nancy Wong of Harris Interactive, 585-214-7316, nwong@harrisinteractive.com, or Darin Johnson of Witeck-Combs Communications, 202-887-0500 ext. 13, djohnson@witeckcombs.com ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 26 -- Seventy-four percent of American adults surveyed in April 2003 favor the U.S. Supreme Court overturning state laws that criminalize private, consenting sexual relations between same-sex couples, yet allows that same private conduct to occur between opposite-sex couples. This was the finding of a national online poll released by Witeck-Combs Communications (http://www.witeckcombs.com) and Harris Interactive(r) (http://www.harrisinteractive.com). The survey also reveals that Americans almost equally oppose laws regulating consenting sexual relations that occur in the private homes of opposite-sex and same-sex couples. Nearly nine out of 10 Americans (87 percent) oppose state laws regulating private, sexual relations that are applied to opposite-sex married adult couples and almost as many (82 percent) oppose such laws that are applied to same-sex adult couples in a domestic partnership. "Even when we exclude respondents who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, 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." These are highlights of a nationwide survey of more than 2,000 adults, of whom approximately seven percent self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT). The survey was conducted online between April 17 and 23, 2003 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. "These numbers tell the same story we've been telling courts in this country for years: the vast majority of Americans support the right to privacy of all people, including gays and lesbians, and oppose anti-gay discrimination," said Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the national gay rights organization bringing the Supreme Court challenge to consensual sex laws. Across the board, regardless of income, gender, age, region of the country, or political philosophy, Americans overwhelmingly oppose state laws that regulate sexual relations that occur in the private home of an adult same-sex couple. Editors Note: Data tables available upon request. Contacts: Nancy Wong, Harris Interactive, 585-214-7316, nwong@harrisinteractive.com Darin Johnson, Witeck-Combs Communications, 202-887-0500 ext. 13, djohnson@witeckcombs.com |