Even The Red States In The US Overwhelmingly Support LGBTQIA+ Rights… So What’s The Issue?
The Public Religion Research Institute has performed a survey that reveals that a significant majority of Americans support nondiscrimination laws for LGBTQIA+ individuals. This remained true regardless of participants’ religious affiliation or political leanings.
Give the people what they want!
The survey polled over 22,000 US adults and found that more than 75 percent of respondents endorse nondiscrimination laws. Substantial support was observed even in so-called red states, which traditionally have a Republican voter base for state and federal elections and typically signpost a conservative population.
This support extends across various religious groups, with a majority of people of faith also backing protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals in areas such as housing, employment and accommodation.
With support for these protections clearly stated, why do US legislatures continue to propose bills that do harm to queer folk?
Although the results of this survey remain in favour of LGBTQIA+ protections, it also demonstrates a decline in support over the last few years. For example, support for marriage equality decreased from 69 percent to 67 percent between 2022 and 2023, while backing for nondiscrimination laws dipped from 80 percent to 76 percent
The US voter base, both progressive and conservative, favours creating nondiscrimination laws for queer individuals. This survey helps to underpin the weight that political figures hold when creating policy.
One likely explanation for the disconnect between the survey findings and the actual anti-gay position taken by many red state politicians is that LGBTQIA+ issues are being used politically as “wedge issues”. That is, political or social issues that are “controversial” or divisive within a usually united group. Politicians use wedge issues to fire up a voting base, even when the “issue” is not a priority to the broader electorate. For example, trans kids using bathrooms or playing sports is not a significant concern to most voters, but it can be divisive among a small group, who make it appear more significant than it is.
