Does Believing Homosexuality Is Innate Increase Support for Gay Rights? Gregory B. Lewis Why are Americans who believe homosexuality is innate more likely to support the rights of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGBs)? Attribution theory suggests that people are more likely to support LGB rights if they do not blame LGBs for their sexual orientation. Alternatively, moral condemnation of homosexuality may lead both to belief that homosexuality is a choice and opposition to LGB rights, while acceptance of LGB rights may lead to a belief in a biological basis for homosexuality as part of a constellation of tolerant beliefs. Using logit analysis on individual-level data from 24 national surveys conducted since 1977, I find that the link between belief in a biological basis for homosexuality and support for LGB rights is strong and growing for almost all groups on almost all issues. The reason may have more to do with people shaping their origin beliefs to match their political and religious values, than with origin beliefs affecting support for LGB rights. KEY WORDS: gay rights, public opinion, attribution theory, origins of homosexuality Public support for the civil liberties and employment rights of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGBs) has risen steadily over the past three decades (e.g., Loftus, 2001; Treas, 2002) and support for legal recognition of same-sex relationships has risen more recently (Brewer & Wilcox, 2005). As state policies on LGB rights largely reflect public support for those policies (Lax & Phillips, 2008; Lewis, 1999, 2003; Lewis & Oh, 2008), understanding what shifts public opinion can help us understand why policy changes. One possible mechanism is the rising belief in the biological origins of homosexuality (Haider-Markel & Joslyn, 2008): Americans who believe homo- sexuals are born that way are more likely to support LGB rights than those who believe homosexuality is a choice or results from one’s upbringing. Most research on the link between these beliefs suggests that attributing homo- sexuality to biological causes leads to more sympathetic perceptions of LGBs, because people usually oppose punishing others for conditions beyond their control. In contrast, those who believe homosexuality is a choice typically condemn that choice as immoral. If attribution theory explains the link, stronger evidence that homosexuality is innate, whether from scientific research or personal testimony, should increase support for LGB rights. However, if condemning homosexual rela- tions as morally wrong impels one to see homosexuality as a choice, or if acceptance The Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 37, No. 4, 2009 669 0190-292X © 2009 Policy Studies Organization Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc., 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA, and 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ.