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	Majority of Voters Say They Will Stand With Politicians Who Come Out as Gay or Lesbian, Poll Finds 71% Say They Would Vote for an Openly Gay Candidate Who Shares Their Views **Results from Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute Highlighted in New "Coming Out Toolkit" Read more about this issue in a recent USA Today article. WASHINGTON, DC - Nearly 3 in 4 Americans (74%) would "definitely" or "probably" continue to vote for an incumbent politician who shares their views if they later found out that person was gay or lesbian, according to the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute Victory Poll. Both "blue state" Democrats (84%) and "red state" Republicans (65%) back this belief. 1 The Victory Poll, of 1,007 likely voters by Zogby America, found 72% of Americans do not believe sexual orientation is important as long as the candidate has a strong record of "getting things done for everyone in the community." "We are at a historic turning point in American politics where voters of all backgrounds recognize that it's the quality of public service and commitment to the issues that matters most," says Leadership Institute President Chuck Wolfe. "With gay and lesbian candidates recently winning in the 'red states' of Nebraska, Texas and Georgia, we see how the Victory Poll is an accurate indicator of where we are as a country. We encourage elected leaders to come out in order to create a climate of honesty with voters and because it's more conducive to fostering diversity and understanding." "The results are interesting in that one might presume the numbers would have gone in a different direction given the debates we hear about gay marriage, gays in the military and other issues," says John Zogby, CEO, Zogby America. Other key findings include: 58% of conservatives "somewhat" or "strongly" and 60% of Republicans agree that sexual orientation is not important if a gay candidate has a strong record of getting things done for everyone; 80% of independent voters would "definitely" or "probably" still vote for an elected leader who shares his or her views if the official came out as gay or lesbian - 80% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans say the same thing; and 72% of voters in small cities and 70% of voters in rural areas say they would "definitely" or "probably" vote still vote for an elected leader who shares his or her views if the official came out as gay or lesbian. "Coming Out Tookit" Distributed to Nearly 1,000 Political Leaders The Victory Poll is a key component of the Leadership Institute's "Coming Out Toolkit," a comprehensive guide for elected leaders who may be thinking about openly discussing their sexual orientation. The Institute developed the Toolkit after numerous requests for information and guidance about the coming out process. The organization is distributing nearly 1,000 copies of the kit to political leaders, party officials, advocacy groups and others. "It's extremely powerful that we share our stories for others who live in less safe, less nurturing environments," says U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who is featured in the toolkit's DVD. Highlights of the kit may be viewed at www.victoryinstitute.org/trailer. The Leadership Institute works to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Americans are not excluded from the electoral process. It offers Candidate and Campaign Trainings, which are nonpartisan sessions about how to run for office. In addition, it works to help openly gay and lesbian officeholders develop professionally through the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials and the annual Gay and Lesbian Leadership Conference. It also sponsors the Leadership Institute Fellowship program, which offers full and partial scholarships to the Executive Management programs at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. The Victory Poll**, which will be an on-going survey of likely voters' attitudes toward candidates and elected leaders who are gay or lesbian, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2%. The poll was conducted in Spring 2006. # # # "Red" and "blue" state definitions based on 2004 presidential election results.

Majority of Voters Say They Will Stand With Politicians Who Come Out as Gay or Lesbian, Poll Finds

71% Say They Would Vote for an Openly Gay Candidate Who Shares Their Views

Results from Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute Highlighted in New "Coming Out Toolkit"

WASHINGTON, DC - Nearly 3 in 4 Americans (74%) would "definitely" or "probably" continue to vote for an incumbent politician who shares their views if they later found out that person was gay or lesbian, according to the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute Victory Poll. Both "blue state" Democrats (84%) and "red state" Republicans (65%) back this belief. 1

The Victory Poll, of 1,007 likely voters by Zogby America, found 72% of Americans do not believe sexual orientation is important as long as the candidate has a strong record of "getting things done for everyone in the community."

"We are at a historic turning point in American politics where voters of all backgrounds recognize that it's the quality of public service and commitment to the issues that matters most," says Leadership Institute President Chuck Wolfe. "With gay and lesbian candidates recently winning in the 'red states' of Nebraska, Texas and Georgia, we see how the Victory Poll is an accurate indicator of where we are as a country. We encourage elected leaders to come out in order to create a climate of honesty with voters and because it's more conducive to fostering diversity and understanding."

"The results are interesting in that one might presume the numbers would have gone in a different direction given the debates we hear about gay marriage, gays in the military and other issues," says John Zogby, CEO, Zogby America.

Other key findings include:

58% of conservatives "somewhat" or "strongly" and 60% of Republicans agree that sexual orientation is not important if a gay candidate has a strong record of getting things done for everyone;
80% of independent voters would "definitely" or "probably" still vote for an elected leader who shares his or her views if the official came out as gay or lesbian - 80% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans say the same thing; and
72% of voters in small cities and 70% of voters in rural areas say they would "definitely" or "probably" vote still vote for an elected leader who shares his or her views if the official came out as gay or lesbian.

"Coming Out Tookit" Distributed to Nearly 1,000 Political Leaders

The Victory Poll is a key component of the Leadership Institute's "Coming Out Toolkit," a comprehensive guide for elected leaders who may be thinking about openly discussing their sexual orientation. The Institute developed the Toolkit after numerous requests for information and guidance about the coming out process. The organization is distributing nearly 1,000 copies of the kit to political leaders, party officials, advocacy groups and others.

"It's extremely powerful that we share our stories for others who live in less safe, less nurturing environments," says U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who is featured in the toolkit's DVD.

Highlights of the kit may be viewed at www.victoryinstitute.org/trailer.

The Leadership Institute works to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Americans are not excluded from the electoral process. It offers Candidate and Campaign Trainings, which are nonpartisan sessions about how to run for office. In addition, it works to help openly gay and lesbian officeholders develop professionally through the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials and the annual Gay and Lesbian Leadership Conference. It also sponsors the Leadership Institute Fellowship program, which offers full and partial scholarships to the Executive Management programs at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

The Victory Poll, which will be an on-going survey of likely voters' attitudes toward candidates and elected leaders who are gay or lesbian, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2%. The poll was conducted in Spring 2006.

# # #

"Red" and "blue" state definitions based on 2004 presidential election results.