A University of Florida study has determined that voters’ levels of education played a bigger part than race in passing the state’s law banning marriage equality last November.

It was speculated, both in post Prop 8-California and post Amendment 2-Florida, that a large number of blacks, drawn to the polls to vote for then-nominee Obama, contributed the largest source of votes in passing the anti-equality amendments.

The new study, to be released on Thursday, challenges the assumption. Daniel Smith, a co-author of the study, explains.

“Our research challenges the assumption that the surge of black voters who turned out in unusually large numbers in support of Obama were also in favor of banning gay marriage,” said Smith. “We found that it really wasn’t race that led to an increased support for a ban on gay marriage but whether or not someone was educated.”

Now that bigotry can be scientifically attributed to a lack of education, how will foes of equality continue to defend their views as anything but ignorant?

Comments (5)

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written by TJarboe, September 01, 2009

HAHAHA, Well put! Ignorance breeds hate!

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written by Gerald, September 01, 2009

Because all those people against equality for all think that gays are less than equal. Their minds won't change. It's based on their Bible.

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written by jhigbee, September 01, 2009

But the thing is -- it's not based on the Bible, or the preachings of Jesus Christ... it's an ignorant manufactured claim that has no real basis in faith. That's where education comes in.

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written by RJTamayo, September 01, 2009

So essentially this study is saying that Prop 8 passed because stupid people came out to vote? That's rather a simplistic excuse. To just brand a lack of education as the root cause of this propositions passage, is rather myopic, and ignores the root causes such as socio-economic or cultural biases that are endemic and ingrained in society. But if it were truly that simple, then who's responsibility is it to educate the uneducated? Clearly it's not the people who already hate us since it is evident they are doing that job already.

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written by Jeff Katz, September 01, 2009

But you could argue that a lack of education makes people less available to accept alternative definitions to archaic terms and ideas, like, say, marriage. A lack of education likely leaves people less able to question status quo, to question religion, to see through propaganda media, to discount "authority" trying to sway opinions. I think this is a totally viable explanation.

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