Op-Ed Columnist – Gay? Whatever, Dude – NYTimes.com

"Stunning" figures from a newly released Gallup poll show, "For the first time, the percentage of Americans who perceive 'gay and lesbian relations' as morally acceptable has crossed the 50 percent mark," Charles M. Blow writes at the NY Times. The numbers are punctuated "by a dramatic change in attitudes among younger men, but older men’s perceptions also have eclipsed older women’s." While 48% more men aged 18 to 49 and 26% more men over age 50 perceive "gay and lesbian relations" to be morally acceptable, there was no significant change in womens' views.

Three theories are offered to explain the numbers. First, as more gay men come out of the closet, and as these men prove to be more varied than stereotypes allow, it becomes harder to discriminate against them. Second, men at large are becoming less afraid of such diversity, thanks to the civil and women's rights causes. Third, virulent homophobes are being outed, too, so being too fiercely anti-gay is not as cool as it once was.

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