Poll: Growing Support for Same-Sex Marriage Among Latinos

By Hope Gillette, Voxxi

Fifty-two percent of Hispanics favor same-sex marriage compared to 34 percent who oppose it, according to a poll conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center. The statistics have reversed since 2006, when Pew’s National Survey of Latinos revealed 56 percent of Latinos opposed allowing  same-sex legal marriages compared to 31 percent who supported it.

“Growing support among Latinos for civil marriage equality is not at all surprising,” said to Reuters Lourdes Rodriguez-Nogues, President of DignityUSA, a Catholic group that favors gay and lesbian rights. “The importance of family across Latino cultures means that they want the best for all of their members, including those who are gay and lesbian.”

The Pew Hispanic Center poll also found Latino Catholics were more supportive of same-sex marriage than were Latino Evangelical Protestants, despite the Catholic Church’s stance against gay marriage. In fact, Hispanic Catholics were 54 percent in favor of same-sex marriage and 31 percent opposed to it, compared to only 25 percent of Hispanic Evangelical Protestants favoring same-sex unions and 66 percent opposing it.

Support for same-sex marriages was lower among Hispanics who regularly attended religious services. Forty percent of Hispanics attending religious services at least weekly were in favor of same-sex marriages compared to 47 percent who were opposed. Hispanics with no religious affiliation supported same-sex marriage by 71 percent.

Same sex marriage and public health

The study findings may be good news for same-sex couples who also stand to benefit from civil unions in matters of health. According to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, gay men who are able to get married tend to be healthier than unmarried gay couples.

By examining data from more than 1,200 gay men in Massachusetts, researchers found gay and bisexual married men were much less likely to visit health care centers for physical or mental ailments. Married gay men showed reductions in depression, hypertension and stress-related disorders.

“Marriage equality may produce broad public health benefits by reducing the occurrence of stress-related health conditions in gay and bisexual men,” study author Dr. Mark K. Hatzenbuehler, a researcher at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, said in astatement. “This research makes important contributions to a growing body of evidence on the social, economic and health benefits of marriage equality.”

This article was firs published in Voxxi.

Hope Gillette is an award winning author and novelist. She has been active in the veterinary industry for over 10 years, and her experience extends from exotic animal care to equine sports massage. She shares her home with four cats, a dog, a horse, and her tolerant husband.