A cartoon from the Canadian blog, Slap Upside The Head

Results from the 2010 Out & Equal Workplace Survey show this week that 78 percent of heterosexual adults agree that employees should be evaluated for their job performance, not their sexual orientation. In addition, 62 percent support providing equal benefits for all employees’ partners or spouses. Here are a few more key findings from the Out & Equal Workplace Survey:

• 66 percent of heterosexuals were neutral or disagreed that they’d be uncomfortable knowing a coworker was LGBT.
• 61 percent of heterosexuals were neutral or disagreed that they’d be uncomfortable if their boss was LGBT.
• Only 18 percent of respondents agreed it would be difficult to be openly LGBT in the workplace.
• Only 44 percent of heterosexuals agreed that LGBT people are treated fairly and equally in the workplace.

These data match similar results from a Center for American Progress study released in June, which also found that 90 percent of Americans already think LGBT people are protected from workplace discrimination, even though in most states they are not. Given the overwhelming support for workplace protections — not to mention belief that they already exist — as well as the endorsement of both small businesses and large corporations, passing LGBT non-discrimination policies on both the state and national level should be a no-brainer. Not only do businesses benefit, but the protections allow both LGBT employees and their coworkers to flourish.

Nevertheless, Republican leadership continues to oppose LGBT equality in ways that hurt businesses. Michigan conservatives are trying to follow Tennessee’s atrocious example of banning municipalities from passing employment protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In addition, GOP-led efforts to ban marriage equality in states like Minnesota and North Carolina, as well as at the national level, hurt businesses who strive to hire and retain talented and productive staff. Opposing LGBT equality is anti-business and anti-jobs, in addition to being completely out of touch with voters.

The Pew Research Center is out with these fascinating charts tracking the growing acceptance for marriage equality among the general population, religious Americans, Democrats, Independents, and even some conservatives:

Yesterday, we here at Think Progress highlighted a new “It Gets Better” video from members of the New Jersey congressional delegation, which was, in fact, the first time any elected Republicans had taken part in the anti-bullying campaign. We commended Reps. Leonard Lance, Jon Runyan, and Frank LoBiondo for joining the chorus affirming LGBT youth, but we also pointed out that all three have opposed LGBT equality in the past and suggested that they turn their words into action to end stigma against LGBT people. The Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) have attacked us for this suggestion, alleging that we are trying to “score political points by taking potshots at Republicans”:

R. CLARKE COOPER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: It is deeply frustrating to see liberal activists attacking Republican Members of Congress for stepping forward to support gay youth. Like the celebrities, sports teams and other public figures who have participated in the ‘It Gets Better’ campaign, these Republican leaders have a powerful voice, and the New Jersey delegation’s video sends the critical message that regardless of our political affiliation, harassment in our schools is a serious problem. The Center for American Progress, which until recently was led by former Clinton White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, has led the attacks on Representatives Lance, LoBiondo, and Runyan as antigay, despite Lance and LoBiondo’s leadership in supporting the Employment Nondiscrimination Act. It seems as though liberals care more about the chance to score political points by taking potshots at Republicans than they care about capitalizing on a chance to really make things better for our youth.

The bullying young people are facing is directly influenced by the stigma perpetuated by lawmakers who cast their votes in ways that deny the LGBT community equality in society. By trying to deprive gays and lesbians of marrying who they love and not supporting any anti-bullying legislation, all three of the Republicans in this video have demonstrated that they want to maintain that second-class status and the consequences that come with it. Reps. Lance and LoBiondo’s support for ENDA should be applauded, but not misconstrued as representative of their broader voting record on LGBT issues. If all three Republicans have truly turned over a new leaf, we hope that they will demonstrate this soon by coming out for full LGBT equality and cosponsoring bills accordingly.

Some are concerned what social changes might come with the victory of Tunisia’s Islamist party in the country’s first free vote since the Arab Spring overthrow of autocratic president Ben Ali. Nahda party spokesman Riad Chaibi has offered reassurances that the new leadership does not want to deprive citizens of individual freedoms, going so far as to say that being gay is “a matter of dignity”:

Chaibi, who spent five years in prison for his opposition to dictator Ben Ali, said that in Tunisia “individual freedoms and human rights are enshrined principles” and that atheists and homosexuals are a reality in Tunisia and “have a right to exist.” According to Chaibi, in the case of homosexuals there is also “a matter of dignity, because society sees them as undervalued.”

Given that Tunisia has a history of stigmatizing and punishing people who are gay, this would be quite a bold step. Chaibi also said that women will not be forced to wear veils and people will be allowed to drink alcohol, promising a coalition government approach that values freedom. Detractors of the Nahda party have suggested that its actions in the mosques do not match its talking points to the public.

Tunisia’s neighbor, Libya, has adopted Islamic Sharia law, which suggests persecution of gays may continue there. If the Nahda party successfully follows through on its assurances, it could prove the Arab Spring’s potential for liberating the LGBT community from religious oppression in the Middle East.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) told Barry Snell of Iowa State Daily that the federal government has no business meddling in the question of same-sex marriage and explained his support for repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by claiming that heterosexuals are probably causing “more trouble than gays” for the military:

“The government has no business in your private life, you know, so if one person is allowed to do something so should everyone else. The whole gay marriage issue is a private affair and the federal government has no say.” [...]

With the recent death of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” I suggested to Congressman Paul that the issue isn’t likely to go away any time soon, and asked how he would address gays in the military as president.

“Well, like I said, everybody has the same rights as everybody else, so homosexuals in the military isn’t a problem. It’s only if they’re doing things they shouldn’t be, if they’re disruptive. But there’s … men and women getting into trouble with each other too. And there’s a lot more heterosexuals in the military, so logically they’re causing more trouble than gays. So yes, you just have the same rules for everybody and treat them all the same.”

Paul previously has said marriage should be decided by local communities and continues to support the Defense of Marriage Act on the basis that it preserves the rights of local government to establish marriage standards.