Many against weddings for homosexuals

In a poll taken in California by the Los Angeles Times on May 20-21 after the state Supreme Court said same-sex marriages were legal, 54 percent of respondents said they would vote for a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, 35 percent would not and 10 percent were unsure.

That marks a drop from March 2000 when Proposition 22, a statute against gay marriages, was passed by a 61 percent to 49 percent margin. But it's enough to pass the state amendment in November.

The Times poll was similar to a nationwide poll by Gallup on March 8-11, in which 56 percent of respondents opposed same-sex marriage.

The Times and the Gallup polls also showed increasingly favorable attitudes toward homosexuals in general.

In the Gallup poll, 89 percent of respondents said homosexuals should have equal job rights and 57 percent believe their lifestyle is acceptable.

The Times poll said that when marriage is not in the picture, nearly 60 percent of Californians accept same-sex relationships.

-- Sue Nowicki