Saturday, April 17, 2010

CNN Polls Readers on Whether Gays Should Be Given Hospital Visitation Rights

The CNN homepage has a non-scientific poll up asking visitors 'What they think of President Obama's order to allow hospital visitation rights for gay and lesbian partners?' Thankfully the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands who answered have sided with basic fairness and only a small minority believe hospital visitation rights shouldn't be extended to gay people.

CNN in putting this poll up fails to see how offensive the mere question is. Could you imagine the outrage if there was a poll allowing users to vote on another minorities basic civil rights?

Express your dissapointment with CNN over this poll by giving them feedback on their homepage.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Get a grip already! It's an unscientific poll meant to drive traffic to their website. If anything, it benefits LGBT people in showing politicians that a vast majority of CNN's viewers are in favor of granting these rights. Additionally, of all the questions that CNN could have posed after this noteworthy news week, a question relating to LGBT rights rests on the homepage. What's your gripe again?

Cj said...

It was a very minor, albeit very necessary move. It's only right, and it should have been done long ago. It's only one, however of the 1,138 Federal rights currently denied to same sex partners.

It's only a baby step in the right direction.

Adriana said...

Couldn't agree more. I went hunting for a Bilerico post I remembered from January by Sarah Whitman
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/01/playing_politics_its_our_lives.php

"I can't help but think of a quote, from 1992 about California politics at the time.

'Democracy is not freedom. Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch. Freedom comes from the recognition of certain rights which may not be taken, not even by a 99% vote. Those rights are spelled out in the Bill of Rights and in our California Constitution. Voters and politicians alike would do well to take a look at the rights we each hold, which must never be chipped away by the whim of the majority.'"

jaysays said...

Repugnant. The 50K+ that think we shouldn't have hospital visitation rights should not have that right either. Let them stand in a lonely white room waiting for their loved one's to die and see how they like it.

Anonymous said...

I think the poll has been taken down

Anonymous said...

As a gay man, I am not offended by this question at all. The mere question is not offensive. This article on the other hand, is quite offensive. And linking it to other "civil rights groups" is difficult to do. The question was about gay *partners* - not gays in general. Hospital visitation is a right that comes with kinship and marriage - not citizen class. Can black people visit other black people just because they're black? No. This is a silly article - get over yourself.

Anonymous said...

How about, "Do you agree that CNN has turned into FAUXNOOZ-Lite?"

Anonymous said...

CNN is geting sicker by the day, are they now working for FOX?

Linnea Gutierrez said...

This was my message:

"Civil rights" should never be subject to popular vote! it's a fundamental principle that existed since the founding of this nation. Bigots are increasingly using the safe harbor of "religious belief" to attempt to take away the rights of others. This behavior needs to be called out as the cowardly tactic it truly is.

Hsing Lee said...

Who wants to bet that of the 13% who said gays shouldn't be allowed visitation rights, we'd find an inbreeding quotient of 12.5% or higher?

There is a direct correlation between excessive inbreeding and support for Conservative/GOP policies.

The states with the highest overall inbreeding quotient amongst Caucasians all vote GOP. They also have the most cases per capita of hydrocephaly, microcephaly, and inbreeding related blood disorders.

So don't be surprised by that 13%. They are literally inbred morons.

Peace

Anonymous said...

the poll isn't on the main page, it is at: http://www.cnn.com/US/

Anonymous said...

It's difficult to understand why people would disagree with the President's order. Oh yeah, they hate gay people.

Wonder Man said...

very interesting

Anonymous said...

It is a poll not a vote. Don't get your panties in a wad, Mary. This thin-skinned crap of yours does a lot of damage to the gay rights movement.

Stunatra said...

You seem to find EVERYTHING offensive. Typical liberal homo.

Unknown said...

Well, although I see your point about the offensiveness I am glad they did the poll, it gives me a sense of hope for the future that so many people voted in our favor. I would think it would bring a smile and a sense of hope to the soul of any gay that sees this poll and I am thankful for that.

What I would LOVE to see is CNN run another poll next week asking: Do you agree with the abolition of interracial marriage laws or was that a mistake in American policy? And see what happens...then ask the question of the people to ask themselves how one question is OK to ask while the other is not. That would be fun!

SteveDenver said...

CNN also needs polls as to whether slavery should be abolished and whether women should be allowed to vote.

Anonymous said...

Do you think Mexicans should be allowed to visit their spouses in the hospital?

Inspector13 said...

i did not find it offensive. i find taking offense at something that doesn't need offense taken offensive. you save the offense for when there is something to actually bitch about.

Anonymous said...

I absolutely agree. I found this poll despicable, as if having the basic right to be the side of sick partner is a popularity contest. And for the poll to be up on the site for almost two full days -- well, that made it even worse.

Anonymous said...

Why are some people trying to run other people's lives. Did they suddenly become God? Who are these people to decide they want to impact/decide such vital decisions in my life? Leave God's work to God and stop judging people....

Nox said...

I'm not so much offended that they asked, as much as I am offended that they turned patient directed visitation and decision making (that includes everybody) into a cheap method to drive traffic to their site through controversy...

focusing on "teh gay" to make the whole article flashy and gather attention is really b-grade pop journalism. guess who else is disproportionately affected? single people, people with no direct family in the area, disabled people, people whose local family does NOT respect their wishes, etc, ad nauseam the the list goes on...

I'm happy, even grateful, for this policy... but it's about much more than me, or being queer... and making it about that one thing when it's it about so much more is nearly as sickening as the small percentage that would take it away from everyone, just to keep it away from us.

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