DETROIT – A new poll of 600 registered voters in Michigan shows increased support for ten key, and currently lacking, legal rights as they pertain to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Michigan. A proposed amendment to the state’s civil rights law, which would prohibit employment discrimination against LGBT people, has support from 75.5% of Michigan voters, including 56% of strong Republican voters. Support for civil marriage equality increased 12.5% from last year to 56.8%, including 54% for a constitutional amendment reversing Michigan’s 2004 ban and legalizing same-gender relationship recognition.
Equality Michigan, the only statewide anti-violence and advocacy organization serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities of Michigan, has been working to advance each of the ten issues and responded to the latest polling numbers.
“This poll confirms Equality Michigan’s assertion that Michigan voters are ready for real change in the treatment of LGBT people. As more and more Michiganders become aware of the LGBT people in their lives and the evidence continues to mount that LGBT equality is good for Michigan’s economy, people are becoming bolder in their stance that the second-class treatment of LGBT people has been tolerated in Michigan for far too long. They will no longer stand for people they love being harmed when they are legally fired simply for being gay, or denied the right to adopt their children because they cannot legally marry,” said Emily Dievendorf, managing director of Equality Michigan.
Dievendorf continued, “the tide is clearly turning as support for civil marriage equality in Michigan continues to surge forward. With the largest increase over the last year coming from Republican and Independent voters, and support among Republicans doubling, this poll proves that fundamental fairness is not a partisan issue. People of faith also expressed strong support of LGBT rights, with 56% of Catholics and 58.9% of Methodists supporting civil marriage equality. It is clear that a majority of Michigan voters are eager to undo the harm caused to LGBT families by reversing the 2004 ban on same-gender relationship recognition and providing LGBT people with equality under the law.”
The survey was paid for by the Glengariff Group and was conducted over May 8-10, 2013, it has a margin of error of +/-4.0% with 95% level of confidence. The questions, methodology, and results of the poll are available for download: http://eqmi.us/513lgbt.
Via press release
