By Arturo Vega, Ph.D. and James Dean Steger, with Juanita Firestone, Ph.D.

(Authors’ note: The following is Part I of a two-part issue brief series which examines San Antonians’ attitudes towards homosexuality. Part II compares San Antonio’s attitudes to national opinions. Both issue briefs are derived from survey data gathered from the Metropolitan Research and Policy Institute’s (MRPI’s) San Antonio Survey 1999.)

ISSUE: What are San Antonians’ attitudes towards homosexuality and the civil rights of gay and lesbians? Since the controversial "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy towards gays and lesbians in the military and the tragic death of Matthew Shepard, there has been increased public debate regarding the general acceptance of homosexuality and the civil rights of gays and lesbians in society. This issue brief is an initial report of attitudes towards homosexuals and their civil rights in San Antonio.

DATA AND METHODS: UTSA Social and Policy Division faculty have produced the annual San Antonio Survey yearly since 1995, with surveys also conducted in 1993, 1991 and 1986. The annual San Antonio Surveys are probability surveys (randomly produced telephone numbers), topical in content, and used to measure attitudes and perceptions of San Antonians on important issues of the day. San Antonio Survey 1999 was conducted from October 11-18, 1999 and resulted in 544 respondents (standard error ±4.2%). The 1999 survey, in addition to a variety of other issues, for the first time included questions pertaining to attitudes about homosexuals:

• Whether the sexual relations of two consenting adults of the same-sex are "Always Wrong," "Almost Always Wrong," "Wrong Only Sometimes," or "Not Wrong At All"?
• Do you agree or disagree that homosexual couples should have the right to marry one another? and,
• Do you think being homosexual is something people "Choose to Be," or do you think it is "Something They Cannot Change?"

The wording of the first question (same-sex sex) is identical to wording used by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, which conducts annual General Social Surveys (GSS). The latest available GSS data were from the 1998 survey, which represents responses from a stratified random sample of 38,000 adults nationwide. Using the same-question from a national data set permits a comparison of local attitudes to national. These findings are found in Part II of this issue brief series. This brief focuses on the last two questions.

DISCUSSION: When asked "Whether they "Agreed" or "Disagreed" that homosexual couples should have the right to marry one another?" forty (40) percent of respondents either "Agreed Strongly" (14%) or "Agreed"(26.4%) (see Figure 1). In contrast, sixty (59.6) percent of the respondents expressed opposition to the gay and lesbian couples having the right to marry (27.8 percent "Disagreed" and 31.8 percent "Strongly Disagreed").

San Antonian’s responses to this question are similar to those from national sources. Nationally, Yang (1998) citing the Yankelovich (1992-1994) and Princeton Survey Research Associates (1996, 1997) surveys, suggests that "Americans are opposed by a two-thirds majority to extending the symbolic recognition of marriage to same-sex couples" (p. 14; emphasis added).

Examining the San Antonio responses reveals similar patterns to national data. The majority regardless of demographic characteristics (gender, race or ethnicity, or educational levels) express "disagreement" with extending the right to marry to same-sex couples (see Table 1).

Significant differences, however, were found among income levels, party identification and age. Here individuals with lower income levels, for example, expressed the least opposition to the right of same-sex couples to marry, with opposition increasing as income increased. While significant, however, the overall association by income is weak. In terms of party identification, a majority of Independents (53%) "Agreed" or "Strongly Agreed" that homosexual couples should have the right to marry one another, while seven in ten (70.1) local Republicans and nearly six in ten (57.2%) Democrats expressed opposition to extending the right to marry to same sex couples.

San Antonio Survey 1999

Age was a (statistically) significant and moderate predictor of attitudes toward the "right" of homosexual couples to marry. Here, sixty-six (65.8) percent of the 18-30 year old respondents, either "Agreed" or "Agreed Strongly" that gay and lesbian couples should have the "right" to marry. In contrast, only twenty-one (21) percent of respondents aged 66 or over held a similar view.

When respondents were asked the question: "Do you think being homosexual is "Something People Choose To Be" or do you think it "Is Something They Cannot Change?" San Antonians were nearly equally divided (see Figure 2). Fifty-three (52.8) percent of the respondents viewed homosexuality as a "Choice" while forty-seven (46.9) percent expressed the view that homosexuality was "Something (homosexuals) Cannot Change".

Again, it appears that San Antonians’ attitudes are not remarkably different from others in the U.S. with regards to the origins of gay and lesbian sexual orientation. Yang cites 1993 data that finds the public "evenly divided between those who believed that homosexuality was inborn and those who believed it was a preference" (1998: 19).

Examining San Antonians’ attitudes regarding the origins of non-heterosexuals reveals no significant differences among categories of race or ethnicity. Here Whites and Hispanics were equally split over the two views, while over two-thirds (67.6%) of the African Americans perceive homosexuality as a choice.

No (statistically) significant differences on this question were found among respondents of different income levels, educational attainment levels, or age. However, significant differences did emerge among respondents of different party affiliations and gender (See Table 2). Independents and Democrats, for example expressed greater variations in their views, while sixty-three (63.2) percent of Republicans viewed homosexuality as a choice. Female respondents were almost equally split but sixty-one (60.6) percent of males viewed homosexuality as a choice.

Table 2: Percentages and Significance of Independent Variables on Attitudes Toward Whether or not Homosexuals Choose to be Homosexual or Can Not Change?

San Antonio Survey 1999

OBSERVATIONS: Overall San Antonians’ attitudes toward homosexuality and the civil rights of gays and lesbians are not much different from those found nationally. While San Antonians’ attitudes towards extending the right to homosexuals to marry is slightly more favorable than earlier national survey data, strong opposition remains. People of different genders, ethnicities or educational levels exhibited little difference in their views of non-heterosexual couples having the right to marry. However it is interesting to note that Independent party affiliates and the 18-30 year old respondents expressed more favorable responses to the right of homosexuals to marry.

San Antonians of different ethnicities, ages, income or educational levels were nearly equally divided in whether homosexuality is a "Choice" or "Something (homosexuals) Cannot Change". Republicans and males, however, were more likely than their partisan and female counterparts to view homosexuality as a matter of "choice".On this question, Republicans in San Antonio exhibit stronger belief that homosexuality is chosen than their Democratic or Independent counterparts. Finally, Juanita Firestone, UTSA Sociology Professor, explains the difference on this question by noting that "women are more flexible in their gender role orientations and likely to view it as something that cannot be changed because then they can’t ‘blame’ individuals for making the wrong ‘choice’. Heterosexual men hold very rigid gender role orientations and as a result tend to be very homophobic. Thus they are more likely to believe that only heterosexual sex is ‘natural,’ and, therefore, homosexuality is something ‘chosen purposely.’" Yang adds that the "belief that homosexuality is something that one is born with is associated with increased tolerance and support for gay equal rights" (19).

CONCLUSIONS: Clearly not all San Antonians oppose expanding civil rights to gays and lesbians over the issue of marriage. The attitudes of Independents and 18-30 year olds may also portend a sense of future changes in attitudes about this issue. Perhaps it is time that San Antonio leaders paid attention to the rights of sexual minorities. Strong leaders who recognize the importance of diversity for sustaining cities in the future could make our city part of the vanguard on issues of civil rights for its citizens.