75% Of Teens Support Gay Marriage In Online Poll

Gay activists have been critical of the Obama administration over the last several weeks. High hopes on the campaign trail have encountered the reality of a President with a host of issues to confront and little stomach for the invariable opposition associated with gay issues. Whereas he declared June gay pride month, he pressed to have the Supreme Court dismiss a challenge to ‘don't ask, don't tell.' Whereas he is extending same-sex partner benefits to Federal Employees, but he won't take a firm stance on gay marriage. There are numerous cases making their way through the legal system. Obama will have numerous opportunities to clarify his position in the coming months.

The good news is that time may favor gay rights. A recent survey by Pangea Media, a leader of online quizzes and quiz technology, found that most teens (75%) support gay marriage.

The findings are part of the latest "Pangea Pulse," which tracked the attitudes and preferences of approximately 3,000 of Pangea's teen users regarding gay rights.

When asked whether they thought that being gay was something that you are born with or something you chose, 55 percent of respondents said it is something you chose versus 26 percent who think that people are born gay. Eighty-four percent of survey respondents identified themselves as straight, nine percent said they are gay and seven percent said they are not sure of their sexual orientation.

With regard to school, 57 percent said that they believe that people who are gay are the victims of discrimination. When asked whether they would look at a teacher negatively if they found out he/she was gay, 71 percent said no. When asked whether they would feel weird being friends with someone of the same gender if they found out that he/she is gay, 62 percent said no versus 25 percent who said yes. Most (78 percent) felt that gay students should be allowed to bring a gay date to the prom.

The survey also found that eighty-five percent of teens would be supportive of a gay sibling and 71 percent said their opinion of a celebrity would not change if they found out he /she was gay.

When asked how they felt about Barack Obama's position on gay marriage, 79 percent said they did not know his position; 12 percent said they support it and nine percent said they were against it.

Provided by the ultimate online quiz experience, Quibblo, offering users the opportunity to create and take quizzes, polls and surveys and view the results.

The results didn't surprise me. To keep your finger on the pulse of social trends, you must observe younger people. Adults debate social change. Young people are the catalysts for social change. Fifty years ago racism and sexism were common. Many television programs and movies from the 70s, or earlier, are cringe worthy in their depictions of minorities and women. Times have changed. Society has changed. I am thankful.

The gay community has a long road ahead. The legal rights and social inclusion sought will not occur overnight. Homophobia will always exist. However, with each successful court case, with each discriminatory law brought down, with persistence, with tenacity, with time, we will succeed. All successful efforts for civil rights require support from the majority. I would be interested to see a poll based on a larger sampling before doing a happy dance, but if 75% of teens support gay marriage, that is a step in the right direction.