Opposition to gay marriage in Kentucky
has dropped 15 percentage points since voters approved a
constitutional amendment banning such unions in 2004.
According to a Bluegrass
Poll – conducted for WKYT-TV, the Lexington Herald-Leader,
the Louisville Courier-Journal and WHAS-TV – released this
week, 35 percent of voters surveyed support allowing gay and lesbian
couples to marry, while 55 percent remain opposed.
The same poll in 2004 found 70 percent
opposition to marriage equality.
“Over time, there is a clear movement
on this issue but the majority of Kentuckians remain opposed to same
sex marriages,” said WKYT
political editor Bill Bryant.
“Kentuckians are still overwhelmingly
opposed to the idea,” said Sam Youngman, political writer for the
Herald-Leader. “But there has been some movement away from
it. So a lot more of the country might be accepting of gay marriage
as an issue. Kentucky isn't there yet, but it's getting there.”
A federal lawsuit challenging the
state's ban is currently before U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn
II.
The poll of 1,200 adults was conducted
by SurveyUSA between January 30 and February 4.