Virginia: Majority Approves of Same-Sex Adoption

A new poll shows that Virginians love their homophobic governor, oppose same-sex marriage, but approve same-sex adoption -- depending on how you ask them the question:

According to a new statewide poll, Virginians area ready to see the Commonwealth's ban on adoptions by same-sex couples come to an end.

The independent Quinnipiac University poll, in its first statewide survey of Virginia, interviewed registered voters by phone from June 21-27, and the poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

A majority, 52 percent, opposed gay marriage in Virginia while 41 percent would support it. Same-sex marriage is forbidden by both state law and the Virginia Constitution.

Yet a majority said the state should lift its prohibition on gay adoptions. Fifty-one percent said the state should allow couples of the same gender to adopt children, 43 percent supported the present ban, and six percent had no opinion.

Democrats, 67 percent; independents, 52 percent; and women, 54 percent; favored same-sex adoptions. Only 33 percent of Republicans polled said they would endorse same-sex adoptions.

When asked if government-run agencies should discriminate against same-sex parents looking to adopt, opposition to the discriminatory policy increased to 59 percent while 35 percent said it should remain unchanged. But when asked if church-run adoption agencies should be allowed to deny adoptions to gay or lesbian couples, the results were closer: 48 percent said yes, and 45 percent said they should not be allowed to discriminate.

Virginia's social services board in April rejected proposed regulations that would have prohibited adoption agencies from discriminating against couples who want to adopt on grounds of sexual orientation.

Fifty-five percent of those polled said they approved of McDonnell's performance during his nearly 18 months in office.