Are interracial daters more supportive of same-sex unions?

This article represents part of a larger project by the author on nontraditional families. All data for replication are available from the author upon request. The author wishes to thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and recommendations. Thanks also go to Jill Perry for her tireless support.

Abstract

Researchers have theorized a relationship between interracial and same-sex unions, but little empirical work has been done to substantiate this connection. This study examines whether individuals who engage in interracial dating are more likely to express support for both same-sex marriage and civil unions, net of sociodemographic and ideological controls. Data are taken from Wave 2 of the Baylor Religion Survey. Ordered logit regression models are estimated in order to examine the relationship between interracial romance and support for same-sex unions, net of various controls such as attribution of sexual orientation, political ideology, and religious conservatism. Analyses reveal that individuals who have engaged in interracial romance are more supportive of same-sex marriage and civil unions. Further research should be conducted to provide a more robust causal understanding of the link between interracial dating and one's attitudes toward same-sex unions.

Keywords:

• Interracial dating
• Gay marriage
• Civil unions
• Same-sex unions

Notes

This article represents part of a larger project by the author on nontraditional families. All data for replication are available from the author upon request. The author wishes to thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and recommendations. Thanks also go to Jill Perry for her tireless support.