Poll: Most Say Right to Marry Should Trump Religious Exemptions

A new poll shows a majority of people think that businesses should not be able to discriminate against LGBT people on the basis of owners' religious beliefs.

A majority of people believe that all wedding-related businesses should be required to serve same-sex couples, regardless of any sort of religious beliefs held by the business owners.

A new poll from the First Amendment Center shows that 54 percent of respondents believe wedding vendors should be required to serve same-sex couples, even if the business owner opposes marriage equality on religious grounds. While several states have attempted to pass religious exemption legislation, which would enable businesses to discriminate against people on the basis of the business owners' religious beliefs, only one, Mississippi, has enacted such a law. In Arizona, all eyes were on Gov. Jan Brewer, who vetoed such a bill after days of scruitiny from across the country.

As a side note, the survey showed that nearly 30 percent of respondents could not name any of the rights protected under the First Amendment (freedom of the press, speech, and religion, the right to petition the government, and the right to assemble).