A survey released Friday found a vast
majority of voters support protections for gay workers.
The poll released by the Human Rights
Campaign (HRC) in partnership with Greenberg Quinlan Research found
that 77 percent of voters support protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender people from discrimination in employment.
“Indeed, support for
anti-discrimination laws and policies are so non-controversial that
overwhelming majorities of Republicans, conservatives and observant
Christians support them as well,” the report's authors wrote.
Seventy percent of Republicans and
sixty-seven percent of conservatives support such protections.
The poll also found that a large
majority (87%) of respondents believe it is illegal under federal law
to fire someone for his or her sexual orientation, while 78 percent
believe it is illegal under state law.
The poll demonstrates strong support
for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a proposed federal
bill that would outlaw workplace discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity. ENDA has been introduced in every
Congress since 1994 (except the 109th; 2005-2007).
Pollsters surveyed 800 likely voters
between November 9 and 13. The poll has a margin of error of +/-
3.46 percentage points.