Poll: 61% of Americans think wedding businesses should be required to serve gays
According to a new poll, 61% of Americans think businesses in the wedding trade should be required to serve same-sex couples.
The poll, conducted by the First Amendment Centre found that a majority of people believe a business should have to serve couples, even if the business owner objects to same-sex marriage on religious
grounds.
Just 39% of people said that business owners should be able to opt out, despite calls for ‘religious freedom’ laws to allow them to do so.
Additionally, it found: “A majority of Americans (54%) agree that if a religiously affiliated group receives government funding, then the government should be able to require the group to provide healthcare benefits to same sex partners of employees, even if the religious group opposes same sex marriages or partners.”
Earlier this month, the owner of a bakery in Colorado said he would no longer sell wedding cakes, after losing a lawsuit following his denial of service to a same-sex couple.
He previously said he would rather go to prison, or close down his shop entirely, than make a cake for a same-sex wedding.
According to the First Amendment Centre, the questionnaire was administered to a national sample of 1,006 American adults by telephone.
