US poll: 68% of Republicans would support a gay candidate
A poll has found that 68% of supporters of the Republican party would support a gay candidate.
The research by McClatchy and Marist College revealed that this proportion would be no less likely to support a well-qualified gay candidate, reports The Washington Post.
83% of US adults across the political scale say knowledge that a congressional candidate is gay or lesbian would make no difference in how they chose to vote.
However, 14% would still be less likely to back a gay or lesbian candidate.
This is in sharp contrast to the Los Angeles Times Poll results in 1985, which found that 49% would not be swayed by a candidate’s sexual orientation when deciding which candidate to support, but 47% would be less keen to vote for someone who was gay or lesbian.
The fact that a majority of Republicans would now back a gay candidate can be interpreted as a sign that the party is becoming more gay-friendly.
However, the party is still well-known for homophobia, with examples such as Jody Hice, a pastor who once claimed that gay people have a secret plot to sodomise America’s sons, winning a nomination for a seat in Congress last month.
