Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender identification and attitudes to same-sex relationships in Australia and the United States

Gay marriage is now a major social question facing countries like Australia and the United States. Still, there is relatively little known about the demographic characteristics of the gay and lesbian population, or about attitudes to same-sex marriage. This paper reports on the size of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) population in Australia using data available in the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes (AuSSA) 2003. It then compares public opinion on the legal recognition of same-sex relationships in Australia and the United States using the AuSSA 2003 data and results of a CBS/New York Times poll taken on this subject in December 2003. The findings suggest that public opinion is sensitive to the type of recognition proposed, and that Australians are more supportive of legal recognition than Americans.