One-Third of Americans Wouldn’t Be Surprised if Stonewall-Like Riots Happened Today

A new poll from The Hill found that one-third of respondents wouldn’t be surprised if LGBTQ rioted again in a manner similar to the Stonewall riots of 1969.

While a majority of respondents said that conditions for the LGBTQ community were better than they were 50 years ago (63 percent), 33 percent said they would not be very or at all surprised if something like the Stonewall raid happened today after the riots were described to them. 54 percent said they’d be at least somewhat surprised.

Information about the riots wasn’t well-known, with millennials being more aware than other generations. 30 percent of millennials were aware of the riots and 31 percent had at least heard of them but didn’t know any details. This is compared to 24 percent and 23 percent of Generation X, 19 percent and 32 percent of baby boomers, and 25 percent and 21 percent of the silent generation.

Even though most people thought conditions were better for LGBTQ people now, the approval rating for President Trump’s LGBTQ policies were relatively low among both parties. Only about one in four Americans responded being supportive of President Trump’s treatment of the LGBTQ community, while 38 percent disapprove.

Republicans supported the president stronger than Democrats, with 47 percent of Republicans somewhat or strongly supporting the administration’s LGBTQ policies versus 8 percent of Democrats. 67 percent of Democrats somewhat or strongly disapproved, compared to 12 percent of Republicans.

Support for specific legislation like the Equality Act was evenly split. Half of all respondents were supportive of federal non-discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in areas like housing, employment, and public accommodations.

The online poll was conducted by YouGov, which has an 88 percent rating of correctly calling political races. 1,225 U.S. adults responded.