Friday, June 14, 2013

AMERICA - New U.S. Survey Shows 92% LGBT Acceptance, Also California's Prop-8

"Though Acceptance for Gay Americans Is Growing, Discrimination Persists" PBS Newshour 6/13/2013

Excerpt

RAY SUAREZ (Newshour):  A new survey provides one of the largest and most complex portraits of what life is like today for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans.  The sweeping survey conducted by the Pew Research Center spanned topics including political views, social stigmas and the difficulties of coming out.

It finds growing acceptance in the U.S. of the LGBT community; 92 percent of those surveyed said they agreed with that.  Yet 53 percent of gay Americans say there is still discrimination.  The survey was done just weeks before the Supreme Court decision and was released during Pride Month.

A short time ago, President Obama spoke at a Pride Month event at the White House about those changing attitudes.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:  From Minnesota to Maryland, from the United States Senate to the NBA, it's clear we're reaching a turning point.

We have -- we have become not just more accepting.  We have become more loving as a country and as a people.  Heart and minds change with time.  Laws do, too.

Change like that isn't something that starts here in Washington, but it's something that has the power that Washington has a great deal of difficulty resisting over time.

RAY SUAREZ:  For more on all this, we turn to Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center and co-author of the LGBT survey, and Gary Gates, distinguished scholar at the Williams center at UCLA and co-author of the "Gay and Lesbian Atlas."



"California Prepares for Fallout as High Court Ruling on Prop. 8 Nears" PBS Newshour 6/13/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  In San Francisco, city employees are preparing for a rush of same-sex marriage applications in case the Supreme Court strikes down Proposition 8, which banned marriage for anyone except between a man and a woman.  Spencer Michels looks at the history of California's fight on same-sex marriage and previews the court's decision.

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