Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Quest For Quotidian: A National Survey Of Non-Heterosexual Attitudes Toward Marriage, Troy A. Mcginnis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Marriage equality remains a legal impossibility for same-sex couples in most states, and opponents are concerned that expansion of marriage to include gays and lesbians would radically redefine the institution. Findings from an online survey of lesbians, gays and bisexuals— a non-random sample of 466 adult men and women age 18 to 74 in 37 states— strongly suggest that many non-heterosexuals' attitudes reflect neither a radical departure from core definitions of marriage, nor a rejection of traditional "family values," but instead signal an assimilationist position favorable to traditional marriage norms rather than a liberationist position critical of the institution.