From: Date: Thu, 17 Nov 1994 15:04:12 -0500 Subject: ELECTION POLL SHOWS GLB SUPPORT ***************************************************************** PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND The Nation's Largest Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Political Group ***************************************************************** To contact the HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND, please call us at (202)628-4160, fax us at (202) 347-5323 or write to us at PO Box 1396 Washington, DC 20013. WE CANNOT RESPOND TO E-MAIL. ***************************************************************** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY, NOV. 17, 1994 POST-ELECTION POLL FINDS CONSENSUS ON GAY ISSUES: GOP, DEM AND INDEPENDENT VOTERS SUPPORT EQUAL RIGHTS WASHINGTON -- An election-night poll of people who voted in the 1994 midterm elections showed that the voters who changed the face of Congress continue to support ending discrimination against lesbian and gay Americans. In the first ever post-election poll that measured voter attitudes toward gay people, majorities of Republican, Democratic and Independent voters supported equal rights for lesbian and gay people, who face widespread and legal discrimination with no protection from federal law. Voters also strongly supported increased efforts against HIV/AIDS, and expressed worry about a "religious right wing agenda." "These findings show broad support for equality for lesbian and gay Americans in the midst of the Republican sweep," said Tim McFeeley, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF), which commissioned the nationwide poll. "Voters of all political stripes value fairness and inclusion, and key blocks of swing voters are especially supportive of gay people. In voting booths and opinion polls, voters have sent a clear message that their vision of change includes equal rights for lesbian and gay Americans." The poll, conducted Nov. 8 and 9 by the independent firm of Mellman Lazarus Lake, Inc., surveyed a random sample of 800 people who had voted in the midterm election. The margin of error is +/- 3.5%. Among the findings: - 70 percent of those surveyed said gay people should not face unfair job discrimination, but rather have "equal rights in hiring and firing" -- with 77 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of Independents and 64 percent of Republicans supporting the idea; - 57 percent supported the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a federal bill that would "extend current civil rights laws in the workplace to cover gays and lesbians" to protect people from job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation; - 78 percent favored "increasing efforts for AIDS research, prevention, and care"; - 40 percent were more worried about a "religious right wing agenda" than a "gay agenda" (21 percent); - 54 percent opposed efforts to exclude "homosexuals from teaching in elementary and high schools"; and - 54 percent opposed "eliminating from public schools and libraries any books or course materials that teach about homosexuality." "Voters support the value of hard work, and believe no one who wants to do their job and pay their taxes should be singled out for discrimination," McFeeley said. "These findings reflect election results in Idaho and Oregon, where voters rejected anti-gay initiatives that would have singled out lesbian and gay people for unfair treatment. Virtually all of the incumbents who cosponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act won re-election, and new supporters have joined the ranks of those in Congress who favor equal rights in the workplace for all Americans." Voters in Oregon and Idaho rejected ballot initiatives that would have imposed discrimination and denied basic rights to lesbian and gay people by repealing or blocking laws prohibiting anti-gay discrimination. In Congress, of 32 Senate cosponsors of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, all 13 who were up for re- election won their races. Of 120 House cosponsors running for re- election, 110 won, and ten newly elected Members have pledged to support the bill. A study released prior to the election by the respected Times Mirror Center for The People & The Press reported that the most important swing voters in the electorate -- representing 20 percent of registered voters -- are "highly tolerant of homosexuality." Among the general population, Times Mirror said, "We found at least one important change in public tolerance in the last four years -- a sharp decline in homophobia." "These polls and election results show a continuing trend among voters in support of fairness and equality," McFeeley said. "We look forward to working with the new Congress to further these values." - 30 - 1101 14th Street, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 phone:(202)628-4160 fax:(202) 347-5323