20 Years Later, Youth Have Room to Grow in Accepting Gay and Lesbian Peers

The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) reports:

We mentioned a few weeks ago that the Girl Scout Research Institute released a report on teen beliefs and values. GLSEN Research Assistant Mark Barkiewicz looked a little deeper at some of the findings and wants to share a little about what he found. From Mark:

According to research findings in Good Intentions: The Beliefs and Values of Teens and Tweens Today [PDF], a recent report from the Girl Scout Research Institute, 59% of youth in grades 7-12 agree with the statement “Gay or lesbian relationships are okay, if that is a person’s choice,” in contrast to only 31% who agreed with this in a 1989 study.

Furthermore, the study also highlights that 48% of 7th to 12th graders today say that if they found out one of their same-sex friends was involved in a gay or lesbian relationship, the friendship would continue and not change at all, compared to only 12% in 1989.

These positive changes should not come as a surprise as the American public in general has grown more tolerant of gay and lesbian issues throughout the years.

(Hat tip: Rand Hoch)