Gay Rights

The first decade of the 21st century showed a shift on the issue of gay rights. In 2000, 62% said that gays and lesbians should be able to openly serve in the military and 28% said they should not. In 2010, 74% say that they should be able to openly serve, while 21% say that they should not. Fifty-two percent of our respondents said gays and lesbians should be able to marry.

Sixty-nine percent of Republicans say that gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly in the military, but they are opposed (65%) to gays and lesbians being able to marry. Democrats and others support open military service and gay marriage by large margins. This is a historic shift in public opinion when one recalls that in 1978, Orange County was the home of Proposition 6, sponsored by Orange County legislator John Briggs, which would have banned gays and lesbians from teaching in California’s public schools—a fight that was featured in the film “Milk.” In 1992, President Bill Clinton was heavily criticized for his decision to allow gays to openly serve in the military. Many of his strongest critics were from Orange County.  These results suggest that political attitudes regarding gay rights have significantly changed, or this issue has taken a back seat to other concerns, especially the economy.