Fewer than four in ten homosexuals believe that rewriting the definition of marriage is a priority for the gay community, a new poll has revealed.
According to the survey more than a quarter of homosexuals think there is “no need” to redefine marriage because civil partnerships already give same-sex couples the same legal rights.
And only one in four, 27 per cent, said that they would marry their partner if same-sex marriage is introduced.
Gesture
The poll also revealed skepticism about David Cameron’s motive for pursuing the controversial change with half saying he is doing it in an attempt to make his party “look more compassionate rather than because of his convictions”.
Dr Austen Ivereigh, director of Catholic Voices, the group who commissioned the poll, branded the gay marriage plans as “a purely political gesture, with no popular backing”.
He said: “Gay people do not regard same-sex marriage as a priority, and show no more enthusiasm for it than for civil partnerships, which give the same legal advantages.”
Mandate
He added: “Not only have the Government no mandate for this unpopular move, but there seems little enthusiasm from those it is intended to benefit. The numbers cannot lie.”
And Colin Hart, campaign director for the Coalition for Marriage, said: “This poll confirms yet again that only a handful of people are pushing the Government to redefine marriage.
“Even within the gay community, there is no majority who thinks that this is a priority.”
Gay
The findings come from an online poll conducted by ComRes. The poll surveyed 541 adults who describe themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual.
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the homosexual lobby group Stonewall, said: “This small sample sounds as if it reflects the wider gay population and that the vast majority of people want marriage.”
Earlier this year former Labour Cabinet Minister Ben Bradshaw described David Cameron’s plans to introduce same-sex marriage as “pure politics”.
He also said that the redefinition of marriage was not “a priority for the gay community”.