LGBT People Like Saving Their Planet More Than Straight People

categories: LGBT Rights and Politics, LGBT Science, LGBT Studies

Published October 27, 2009 @ 07:18AM PT

If Mother Nature had her way, the world might be run by LGBT people. That's because a new poll out shows that LGBT Americans think and act in more green-friendly ways than straight people. The statistics are even more stark when it comes to believing whether global warming is a significant threat to the planet, or that people should support environmental organizations and environmental causes with some money.

There's also a tinge or irony here that while anti-gay forces are busy trying to repeal marriage rights state-by-state or shift Anglicans into the Catholic Church, it's actually LGBT people on a whole that show more concern for the future generations of this world, at least when it comes to environmental sustainability.

The study, by Witeck-Combs and Harris Interactive, concludes that while on a whole everyone is doing more these days to protect the environment and save the planet, there's definitely a gap between LGBT people and straight people.

Here are a few of the statistical breakdowns.

A whopping 75 percent of LGBT people surveyed believe that global warming is happening right now, as opposed to just 53 percent of straight people surveyed;

Two-thirds (66 percent) of LGBT people say it's important to support environmental causes and organizations, compared to just 56 percent of heterosexuals;

Fifty percent of LGBT people are concerned that we're leaving the planet in horrible shape for future generations, whereas only 42 percent of straight people share this worry.

More LGBT people have also seen Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," than straight people. But that's probably not all that surprising, given Gore's heavy support among LGBT voters. More straight people probably watch Glenn Beck than gay people, too.

But the study is pretty telling. What makes LGBT people more attuned to the concerns of the planet? Is it that once someone experiences any form of persecution, they can relate to a planet that's being choked to death by emissions, pollution, and human consumption?

There might be some truth to that. But the point isn't to pit gays against straights on the environment. If this planet is going to be saved, it's going to take the collective work of everybody, regardless of sexual orientation. As Peter Tatchell, one of the leading UK gay rights activists, put it earlier this year, "Climate destruction is the single greatest threat to the survival of humanity. It is more dangerous than terrorism and war."

Those are important words to live by -- for both straight folks and LGBT peeps.

(Photo courtesy of cherrylynx's photostream on Flickr.)

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Comments (16)

One reason why we are more environmentally friendly might be because we have more time to devote to issues that really matter, whereas so many straight people are busy harassing us or other minorities.

All jokes aside, it is very interesting.

Hopefully in the future more people become aware of global warming, it is a problem, and it is happening now. The side effects won't show up for a while though, this type of change is slow to happen.

Posted by Paul Hockhousen on 10/27/2009 @ 08:20AM PT
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I totally agree with you my friend!! We must clean up this planet and help the animals and humans alike to have a clean world. This is very important for this to happen!! We must do this in a good and correct way. I myself am not gay but I do support the LGBT Community. You bring up some great points!!!

Posted by Christopher Allen on 10/27/2009 @ 01:08PM PT
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You are right,We deal with so much persecution that we are sensitive to issues of the environment.

Posted by Martin Martinez on 10/27/2009 @ 09:16AM PT
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It must be that we want to save our children...

Posted by Jay Says on 10/27/2009 @ 11:11AM PT
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This is great news! I often wonder how societies and individuals who are oppressed would then go and oppress the next group of weaker individuals on the planet. Like women for example who have always been oppressed and yet now feel ok with oppressing the next vulnerable victims such as animals. When will humanity learn to care for each other, the planet and all the other little beings out there who need compassion and care. We are just a bunch of large monkeys, why not act like intelligent, compassionate monkeys instead of useless, cruel human beings who take pleasure in hurting each other as well as all the other species and animals who are a little different. I am glad to hear that there is so much compassion in this group of people. Vegan for all life on earth.

Posted by Ariel Rose on 10/27/2009 @ 01:28PM PT
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People have their own opinions no matter what your sexual orientation. Having said that, i was a little thrown off by the title. As a straight person i feel i am trying to "save the planet" just as much as LGBT people.

Posted by Jay Pesan on 10/27/2009 @ 01:44PM PT
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As do I...

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/27/2009 @ 03:16PM PT
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I am a straight person too. But I think what this article says is that a larger percentage of people who are gay care about the planet than straight people.

When I actually think about it, it makes sense. You never hear about gay men (that I know of) going out and getting their kicks out of killing animals or hunting down defenseless deer. It is perhaps the heterosexual male ego that needs to perform these ritualistic acts to remind themselves of their manliness.

Posted by Ariel Rose on 10/27/2009 @ 02:41PM PT
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I'm a straight ally who has watched "An Inconvenient Truth" and seeing that LGBT people care more about making sure Earth is in good shape shows them that they are attuned to the impact of Global Warming. Global Warming is happening right now, along with its impacts. Intolerant conservatives have an incorrect view of LGBT rights and the priority of the planet, but LGBT people do care for Earth. Peter Tatchell is correct on Global Warming.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 10/27/2009 @ 03:00PM PT
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Ive been wanting to see al gore's movie but havent been able as of yet...

That said, it dont matter what our orientation or even who we are...Momma earth must be protected with harm to none.

But I still gotta have my meat and taters...

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/27/2009 @ 03:19PM PT
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One major thing The Inconvenient Truth failed to mention is that meat eating is the largest contributor to global warming. Al Gore, recently stated that he left this out as he knew people would be resistant to the message. The true inconvenient truth is that meat is raising planetary temperatures more than tranportation.

I would advise any person who really cares about the planet to keep the taters and lose the meat.

"Last month, the United Nations published a report on livestock and the environment with a stunning conclusion: "The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." It turns out that raising animals for food is a primary cause of land degradation, air pollution, water shortage, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and not least of all, global warming."

http://www.alternet.org/environment/47668

Posted by Ariel Rose on 10/27/2009 @ 04:38PM PT
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Sorry miss rose but I dont buy the meat causing global warming argument so I'll keep both the meat and the taters thank you very much.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/28/2009 @ 01:20AM PT
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Well it is very convenient not to believe it, that is how we all can keep behaving in ways that suite our desires, but not necessarily the needs of the planet and of others.

Natalie Portman's Article: Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals Turned Me Vegan

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/natalie-portman/jonathan-safran-foers-iea_b_334407.html

Posted by Ariel Rose on 10/28/2009 @ 02:05PM PT
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Not convenient sweety...Just the way I am.

I dont believe everything I hear or read and even less so when I think its comming from a possible fanatic.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/29/2009 @ 12:51PM PT
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I read that article miss rose and what I got from it in addition to miss portman getting all of her information second hand is that the consumption of meat aint the problem...

The proble is in how we treat animals...Even those that we eat and in how the bussiness of meat production/preparation as a whole is run...

Therefor instead of being on a veggie bandwagon...Why dont you focus on more humane treatment of animals and better more enviromentaly friendly ways of running the meat industry ?

Having said that...No...I dont and never will believe that animals are at the same level of evolution as us humans.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/29/2009 @ 12:58PM PT
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The majority of the members of the GLBT community are far more open-minded than many heterosexuals. When you live your life in your little box believing what you want to believe, you develop a sense of invincibility. You shrug off things like environmental deterioration, saying that its "just a bunch of tree-hugger nonsense." Open-mindedness allows a person to think freely, to understand more of what is going on around them, and to be much more willing to accept it. That's what I believe anyways. Sadly, people are only open-minded when they have reason to be, when something affects them directly.

Posted by Joshua Messina on 11/02/2009 @ 11:35PM PT
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Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.