Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

of course the new poll says that! Its hosted by the National Org. for Marriage! I think RI should suck it up and join the REST of New England already. I'm a lesbian and would like to have the OPTION to marry my partner if I wanted!

This isn't really all that surprising. Since the liberal core of America is in California and they even voted it down.

Doesn't matter which poll is "right" and which is "wrong," if you could even define that. Only lawsuits and legislation have forced gay marriage on any state. EVERY TIME the question has been put up for a popular vote, including California, it has been voted down.

Funny how liberals want a direct popular election for president by the whole country, but when it comes to gay marriage they want a small group of special interest-beholden lawmakers to make the decision. Or an even smaller group- judges and juries.

Look who the poll is funded from??? A high-profile group who is against gay marriage?? All these "polls" I dont believe many except the ones offered to everyone. I never was asked for this on either side with the Brown poll now these jokers?? What happened to the projo poll on this??? at least we all had a chance to vote!

The latest poll shows that 99% of the people could care less what the latest polls say. Polls can be manipulated to have the outcome be what ever you want it to be.

The poll as funded by a right-wing hate group.

With all the negatives about living in RI (there are many) at least they got this issue correct. Once RI allows queer marriage, it's all over. There really will be no reason to stay in RI.

I can give you a dozen ways to skew results.
Unless this group provides detailed information on how their poll was administered, you've got zip, nada, nothin' for information.

A survey may focus on opinions or factual information depending on its purpose, and many surveys involve administering questions to individuals. When the questions are administered by a researcher, the survey is called a structured interview or a researcher-administered survey. When the questions are administered by the respondent, the survey is referred to as a questionnaire or a self-administered survey.

Definition of a "right-wing hate group":

Any group of two or more people who disagree with the American left on any subject ranging from the best flavor of ice cream at Ben & Jerry's to the existence of the State of Israel.

First you have to take into account what group conducted the poll...a little bias I would say. Was it a random poll or did they question people in their group?? Also I find the number of respondents to be ridiculous. 400??? Even if all 400 were opposed to gay marriage that would still not make that the majority of RI'ers. Come on people...let's be fair!!!

A poll on the right to marry! A great idea!

The United States Supreme Court ruled over 40 years ago that marriage is a fundamental civil right.

So, let's have a poll to decide what other civil rights we let people have and what civil right we don't.

Maybe we should have a poll to see if people support the right to own guns in Rhode Island. Or we should have a poll to see if people support letting Jewish people vote. You think those are civil rights? So what -- let's take a poll.

Finally a poll I can agree with. It should be an arrestable offense to be gay in this state.

WAIT A MINUTE!!!

I just realized the poll "reports a 4.9 percent margin of error." The "opposed" number is reported as 43% and the "support" number is reported as 36%.

This means that the "opposed" number with the margin or error applied could be as low as 38.1% and the "support" number with the margin or error applied could be as high as 40.9%.

Even if this poll is scientifically and statistically sound, the ONLY VALID CONCLUSION the pollster could honestly report, is that the poll did not reveal a statistically significant difference between those opposed and those who support.

It's a dead heat, folks.

Let them marry! They too should know the joys of divorce!

Just put it to a vote and that will be the real poll. Let the people decide.

Joe says "being gay should be an arrestable offense in RI." Joe, you would have been a great member of the National Socialist Party in Germany back in the 1930s, where being gay WAS an arrestable offense and I'd be hauled off to a concentration camp where I'd be forced to wear the pink triangle and break big rocks into little pebbles until I dropped dead of starvation.

This isn't a Gay issue. It is an AGE/GENERATION issue.

Of the 400 people polled, more than 68 percent of respondents were over the age of 50.

BUT, those aged 36 years and UNDER favored gay marriage.

Of the 32% aged 36 years and UNDER, how many of them are OK with Gay marriage? Just curious.

Could it be that the poll was taken during hours when retirees were more likely to be home?
QUEST doesn't mention this.

Any difference between married, single, and divorced respondents?

What you've got here is the opinion of an older generation, and even they think that this is a very low priority in Rhode Island (7% think it is a high priority).

The 43% that strongly disapproves of Gay Marriages SHOULD NOT marry a gay person.

Bottom Line:
It is just a matter of time before gay marriage is legal in all 50-states.

"Also of interest, more than 68 percent of respondents were over the age of 50."

Says it all right there.

Bob from North Smithfield has it right.

"It is just a matter of time before gay marriage is legal in all 50-states."

The QUEST poll proves it.

Younger voters are accepting Gay marriages.

Older folks aren't as tolerant of Gay Marriage.

All those "older voters" are going to be replaced by younger voters.

It happens all the time...witch burnings, women's voting rights, civil rights, desegregation of the school system, ....and ALL of those changes have been a GOOD thing.

Bottom Line:
It is just a matter of time before gay marriage is legal in all 50-states.

The ending to that sentance is "...contrary to the will of the people who live in them"

If we put this to a vote, then I insist we also put to a vote whether a Protestant should be allowed to marry a Catholic and also whether a Catholic should be allowed to get a legal divorce (since it's against their church teachings, after all.) If you find voting on those questions offensive, then maybe you should think again about voting on ANYONE'S marriage.

While we all certainly question the total validity of a poll conducted by such an organisation, I think it's highly likely that opposition to gay marriage is much stronger than the Brown Poll suggested.

I personally think the gay lifestyle is disgusting. Society is really slipping and violating the moral law with this stuff. Gay marriage is a joke. Who are they kidding?

If RI goes with the rest of New England, then the church has really lost the battle on the moral ground of society.

Gay people should be back in the closet where they belong.

Why is it that those who oppose homosexual "marriage" are labeled "haters", "bigots", and "mean-spirited", etc. while those attired as cross-dressing, sodomizing priests at a gay pride parade are "promoting tolerance"?

I look forward to an era where citizens are not allowed to vote away the personal liberties of other citizens. I'm hopeful this will happen in my lifetime

Why is no one talking about the Constitution? In the Constitution it states that the majority may NEVER be given the power to strip a minority of their rights. That is why it should not be voted on.

Hey BH- 'contrary to the will of the people who live in them'at the time, no one wanted to desegragate schools. No one wanted to free slaves. No one wanted interracial marriage. Were any of these voted in by all states? NO. Took court orders (and in the case of some, the National Guard to enforce it). The world has not yet come to an end because these laws were changed. Canada, Spain, and other European countries have not come to an end because they let all their citizens have the option of marrying the one that they love. Thirty years from now, our kids are going to wonder what was wrong with us that this too was a big deal

This is another one of those bogus polls. Note the largest demographic group is those 65 and over. It is not representative of the average Rhode Islander.

I've seen a number of polls conducted by a variety of entities including ProJo that put support at close to 60% overall, 89% for those 18 to 29 years old.

The American Psychiatric Association confirmed that all sexual orientation is natural, biologically induced, morally neutral, immutable, neither contagious nor learned, and has no relation to ability to form deep and lasting relationships, to parent children, or to contribute to society.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychiatric Association endorsed civil marriage for same sex couples because marriage strengthens the mental and physical health and the longevity of couples, and provides greater legal and financial security for children, parents, and seniors.
When America's premier child and mental health associations endorse marriage equality, there remains no ethical reason to discriminate against gay people and their children. 3% of every generation, of every culture, in every state, of every country will grow up and realize that they are gay. The question that we need to ask ourselves is: what are we doing to make our world a safer and more welcoming place for ALL CHILDREN?
Kate O'Hanlan, MD