Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons

Poll: Utahns Back Some Gay Rights
With 70 Percent of Utahns Supporting Civil Unions, Common Ground Bills Get a Boost

From a story in The Salt Lake Tribune
January 2009

While Utahns aren't ready to let gay and lesbian couples exchange wedding vows or enter civil unions, most are willing to give them broader legal rights to inherit property, visit a partner in the hospital and ward off employment discrimination.

A Salt Lake Tribune poll finds that 56 percent of Utah voters support increased legal protections for same-sex couples -- a potential boon for Democratic state lawmakers who intend to introduce a package of gay-rights bills this legislative session.

However, the poll shows overwhelming opposition (70 percent) to any changes to the Utah Constitution that would allow same-sex partners to enter civil unions. Utahns, 54 percent of them, also are wary of letting unmarried couples, including gay and lesbian partners, adopt or foster children.

“People should have, under the law, the same rights,” says poll respondent Gary Weston, of Murray, who favors some legal protections for same-sex partners but not civil unions. “What they should not have is a circumstance that permits or invites the law to recognize a [relationship] that would permit gays and lesbians to raise children who are in the formative years of their lives.”

The poll -- conducted by Washington, D.C.-based Mason-Dixon Polling & Research on Jan. 8 and 9 -- reflects the opinions of 500 registered Utah voters. It has a 4.5 percent margin of error.

Although disheartening for gay-rights advocates who would prefer a policy-path toward civil unions, the survey offers hope to backers of a legislative push known as the Common Ground Initiative. This five-bill package would make it illegal to discriminate against gay or transgender employees, provide wider rights for inheritance and health insurance and give same-sex partners the ability to sue in cases of wrongful death, among other things.