Family Council Responds to Arkansas Poll on Same-Sex Marriage

1 CommentHomosexuality, Marriage, ,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 23, 2013

LITTLE ROCK, ARK. – On Wednesday, the University of Arkansas released its fifteenth annual Arkansas Poll. The poll included questions regarding Arkansans’ views of same-sex marriage and civil unions.

Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement saying he agrees with the general conclusions made by the University of Arkansas. “The poll says, ‘by and large results were similar to previous years, with less than a quarter of Arkansans supporting marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples. When it comes to the statement “There should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship,” only 46 percent of Arkansans agreed, the first time the response has dipped below 50 percent.’ Overall, I don’t think this poll shows us anything all that new. Sixty-seven percent of the people polled said they do not support same-sex marriage. Twenty-three percent said that they do. Now, yes, some of that sixty-seven percent say they support civil unions and domestic partnerships, but if you look at the numbers, you see that has always been the case in Arkansas.”

Cox said there’s a lot of debate and confusion over what constitutes a civil union. “To some people, a civil union is something that gives a person the right to visit another person in the hospital. To others, it’s marriage by a different name.  Everyone has their own idea of what civil unions are.”

Cox also said there is much more going on than polls reveal. “Experts at RiceUniversity studied this issue for six years, from 2006 to 2012. What they found was that people on both sides of this issue change their minds. They don’t just switch from opposing same-sex marriage to supporting it. They also go from supporting same-sex marriage to opposing it. The end result, though, is not much has changed. Most people oppose same-sex marriage; some people support it; and some are undecided.

“The most important poll I’m concerned with is the one the State of Arkansas took in November of 2004, when seventy-five percent of Arkansas voters chose to define marriage as the union of one man to one woman. The way people answer polling questions about homosexuality and the way they vote are not the same. Experience tells us that in the privacy of the voting booth people vote more traditionally. If an election were held today, the majority of Arkansans would still vote to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. That’s what counts.”

Family Council is a conservative education and research organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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What Churches Who Charter Boy Scout Troops Need to Know

Homosexuality, Religious Freedom, ,

There are some potential legal problems churches need to know they could now face if chartering a Boy Scout troop.

Earlier this year the Boy Scouts of America changed their membership policy, choosing to allow openly gay Boy Scouts to participate in scouting. According to a memo circulated by the Alliance Defending Freedom, churches who charter Boy Scout troops could now be at serious risk due to the BSA’s decision.

According to ADF, a church chartering a Boy Scout troop could:

  • See its teaching on sexual morality curtailed. According to ADF, “Under threat of litigation, a church that chooses to maintain ties with BSA could face forfeiting the ability to teach biblical principles of sexual morality to its Scouts and to require them to adhere to those principles.”
  • Find itself unable to speak out against homosexuality in other contexts. According to ADF, “Affirming the ‘good conduct’ and ‘moral straightness’ of youth of any sexual orientation or preference—which is the effect of a church chartering a BSA troop—could limit a church’s ability to make a convincing showing [in court] that its beliefs opposing homosexuality should be constitutionally protected because of the internal inconsistency created by the charter.” This has the potential affect everything from hiring staff to church policies on facility-use.

What Does ADF Recommend?

(more…)

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Gay Activists Still Trying to Get Approval for Ballot Measures

Homosexuality, ,

Late yesterday afternoon, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel rejected a very oddly-worded proposal to repeal Amendment 83, Arkansas’ constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Typically, a proposed constitutional amendment consists of a popular name, ballot title, and the text of the amendment itself. The group sponsoring the measure, however, submitted a popular name, “summary,” and ballot title; they did not provide the text of their amendment.

This, among other things, caused Attorney General McDaniel to reject the proposal.

Right now there are two efforts underway to undo Arkansas’ democratically-adopted constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. One effort purposes to legalize same-sex marriage outright in 2016. The other–which the Attorney General rejected yesterday–seeks to repeal Arkansas’ Marriage Amendment in 2014.

In 2004, 75% of Arkansas voters voted to define marriage as the union of one man to one woman. Recent polling indicates an overwhelming majority of Arkansans still support that amendment.

You can read the Attorney General’s full opinion here.

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