The majority of Republicans say homosexuality should be accepted in Pew poll first

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published 5 October 2017

For the first time, the Pew Research Center found that the majority of Republicans say homosexuality should be accepted, a new study published Thursday shows.

Democrats still overwhelmingly believe "homosexuality should be accepted by society," with 83 percent agreeing, although 54 percent of Republicans now feel the same. "Ten years ago, just 35 percent of Republicans held this view," Pew writes, "little different than the 38 percent who said this in 1994."

Echoing that point, HuffPost senior politics reporter Jennifer Bendery recalled meeting a Republican in Wyoming who told her: "I was dead set against gay people … I was probably scared, and that completely changed. To hell with it."

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Overall, 7 in 10 Americans now believe homosexuality is not something that should be discouraged by society. Learn more about the demographic differences below, and read the full report at Pew. Jeva Lange

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.