A majority of Nebraska voters favor
legal recognition of the unions of gay and lesbian couples.
According to a World-Herald poll of 800
registered voters, a majority of Nebraskans support either marriage
(32%) or civil unions (22%) for gay couples. Seven percent either
said they were undecided or refused to answer.
In 2000, Nebraskan voters
overwhelmingly (70%) approved a constitutional amendment defining
marriage as a heterosexual union.
“That's what's going on around the
country,” Greg Petrow, an associate professor of political science
at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, told
the paper. “There's no reason to think that pattern wouldn't
hold in Omaha.”
“It's becoming increasingly clear to
all Nebraskans that equal rights for the GLBT community are an
absolute necessity,” said Craig Moody of the group VOICE Omaha.
Support was highest among people under
age 35, women, and registered Democrats.
“Sometimes people's attitudes change
very glacially,” added Petrow. “That's not what's happening
here. People now support gay marriage who 10 years ago did not.”