Young people most accepting of gay marriage, poll finds

Louisa Olivares, a radio disc jockey from Aberdeen, is a strong supporter of gay marriage. She has gay friends who are married, and is raising her five children to learn tolerance.

"Everyone has their own right to live their own life," said Olivares, 26. "If we don't allow it, it's not a free country. And they should have every chance to have a kid like we do."

Like many young Washington residents, Olivares — who describes herself as a Christian and supporter of President Bush — does not want to stand in the way of gays getting married.

A Seattle Times Washington Poll conducted last week found young people were the most tolerant of gay marriage, with 53 percent of those between 18 and 35 believing that gay couples should be able to legally marry. The oldest residents, those over age 65, were least approving, at 29 percent.

A poll taken last month for the National Annenberg Election Survey at the University of Pennsylvania found that half of younger people, those from 18-29, support a law that would allow gays and lesbians to marry. That's a striking contrast to those over age 65, where only 12 percent support gay marriage, the Annenberg survey found.

Experts have said that the attitudes toward gay marriage reflect young people's exposure to gay issues today, whether it's AIDS, gays in the military or marriage.

The Times poll found nearly two-thirds of young people polled said they have a close friend or relative who is gay or lesbian and they strongly disagree with the notion that homosexuality is wrong.

"I think younger people are more open-minded," said Bobby Harrison, 17, a newspaper salesman from Ferndale, Whatcom County. He said government should stay out of the issue. "I think America is supposed to be a free country, and if you love someone it doesn't matter who you marry. The government should treat it as a normal marriage and not make a big deal out of it."

Gary Atkins, a Seattle University communications professor and author of the book "Gay Seattle," believes younger people have more commonly interacted with other gay and lesbian youths as they have grown up and have also seen images of gays and lesbians on television and in the movies.

"From personal experience and media exposure, they know that gays and lesbians are not to be feared, that gay men and lesbian women fall in love just as heterosexuals do," said Atkins, who teaches a course on sexual and gender images in mass media.

"They also know that respecting and honoring gay relationships does not threaten their own heterosexual relationships. I think it is very likely they will be more tolerant."