Howard Racsid, 47, a retired Internet consultant from Fredericksburg, said that just a few years ago he opposed gay marriage. But he said his views have changed. Despite feeling uncomfortable with the notion, he says gays should be able to legally marry and adopt.
“My overarching theme is equal rights for everyone, and within that context, I have to support it,” he said. “It’s funny, life, as you go along, things aren’t always what they seemed even a year ago.”
The poll also indicates that majorities of Democrats (56 percent) and independents (53 percent) favor gay marriage, but 60 percent of Republicans are opposed.
Chris Mason, 43, an auto dealership employee who lives in Winchester, said his opposition to gay marriage is based on his belief in the traditional family structure.
But he said he agrees with gay couples receiving new recognition under the law.
“I am totally fine with homosexual couples having a civil union in which they’re recognized as a couple and have every legal right — but it should never be called marriage,” he said. “Words have meaning.”
The poll also finds that 35 percent of Virginians say it should be illegal for gay couples to adopt. Virginia is one of 34 states where only married couples and single adults, whether gay or straight, can adopt. Virginia law bars adoptions by all unmarried couples, regardless of sexual orientation. And some private adoption agencies, including religious institutions, have their own rules regarding gay adoptions by single people.
Despite emotional pleas from gay-rights groups, the State Board of Social Services, which regulates adoptions in Virginia, recently declined to bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by adoption agencies.
Virginia’s shift on gay marriage reflects the nation’s. In 2006, nearly six in 10 Americans opposed same-sex marriage, but by spring of this year, a majority for the first time supported it. A mid-March Post-ABC News poll found support for gay marriage at 53 percent nationally.
The survey also reflects strong regional differences on same-sex marriage. In the D.C. suburbs, 64 percent support gay marriage. Elsewhere in the state, that number falls to 43 percent.
In contrast to four years ago, about as many Virginians consider themselves to be liberal on social matters as call themselves conservative. Fiscal conservatism is on the rise, but on these social issues, it’s liberalism that’s ticked higher.
The poll was conducted by conventional phones and cellphones from April 28 to May 4 and included interviews with 1,180 adults. The full poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Polling manager Peyton M. Craighill contributed to this report.
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