Despite Division on LGBTQ Education, Poll Shows Increased U.S. Acceptance

In light of Florida’s recent “Don’t Say Gay” law, there are increasing concerns about the status of queer rights in America. However, a group of polls from the Morning Consult suggest that, while parents are divided on the “Don’t Say Gay” law and the presence of LGBTQ topics in education, overall Americans are growing more comfortable with queer people. 

One poll examined the level of trust American adults have in teachers, which revealed that the majority of respondents believe that teachers are acting in good faith and doing their best to prepare students for life. The group who expressed the most distrust of educators were non-parent republicans: 23% republican non-parents distrust the intentions and impact of teachers compared to 14% of republican parents, along with 7% and 9% of Democrat parents and non-parents, respectively. 

Another poll analyzed the extent to which American adults believe K-12 teachers influence their students regarding different traits. The most divisive topics the poll covered were the influence of educators on political ideology, religious views, and sexuality/gender identity. Overall, only 32% of American adults believe that teachers have an influence on their students’ sexuality and gender identity. However, that number jumps to  40% among self-identified republicans. 

Seventy-two percent of surveyed parents said they were comfortable with LGBTQ people working with their children; however, only 51% of parents said they would be comfortable with their children learning about LGBTQ history. 

While there is a divide about the inclusion of queer people in education, the Morning Consult also provided the results of a set of polls that show a small but consistent increase in acceptance for LGBTQ people in 2022 as compared to 2019.

One of the biggest leaps has been in the acceptance of LGBTQ parents raising a child which saw a rise of 5% from 2019, jumping from 62 to 67%. Even the divisive topic of children learning about LGBTQ history in school has risen in acceptance from 49% to 50%. 

Ultimately, while there has been an increase in legislative attacks against queer people, there does continue to be an increase in acceptance across the country.