The U.S. could soon have something it's never had: a black or a female president.

But what if one of the presidential candidates was gay?

Could a gay person get elected to high office in a country where it's still legal in many states for companies to refuse to hire someone because of his or her sexual orientation?

A 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press asked if respondents would vote for an openly gay candidate for president. Almost half, 46 percent, said they'd be less likely to vote for a candidate who's gay. Fifty-one percent said it would make no difference, and 1 percent said it would make them more likely to vote for a candidate.

There are only two openly gay members of Congress —- Democratic Reps. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

The Washington, D.C.-based Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, dedicated to increasing the number of openly gay elected officials, said more gay candidates are winning election nationwide. When the fund began in 1991, there were 49 openly gay elected officials. There are now 412, said spokesman Denis Dison.

"People don't seem to care much about sexual orientation, especially if a candidate has been out all their lives. There are certainly areas where it's harder because there are some old attitudes," he said.

Victor Stabile, head of Cumberland County (Pa.) Republicans, doesn't think a candidate's sexual orientation makes much difference anymore. He believes the county GOP would back a gay candidate who had the right qualifications as a leader.

"As party chairman, it makes absolutely no difference to me whatsoever," Stabile said. "This is America. It's not a crime in this country to be gay."

Still, he points out, it's impossible to be sure how Cumberland County voters might react to an openly gay candidate —- none has ever run for major office.

The stereotype is that Democrats are more accepting of homosexuals than Republicans, but the Log Cabin Republicans, a group that represents gay members of the party, argues that the GOP, with its principals of smaller government and personal freedom, should be the more accepting.

Michael F. Stara, 51, the Pennsylvania chairman of Log Cabin Republicans, said being gay is a major handicap for candidates, especially Republicans.

People tend to vote for candidates they view as similar to themselves, and many people fear a gay elected official would focus on a gay-rights agenda, he said. Stara said that's unfounded, and that homosexuals are interested in mainstream issues such as schools, roads and public safety.

The American Family Association has often opposed proposals to expand legal rights and protections for gays. Diane Gramley, president of the organization's Pennsylvania chapter, said that being gay does not render someone unable to serve the public. She wouldn't vote for a gay candidate, however, because she believes that gay elected officials pursue an agenda of "naturalizing" homosexuality.

"I don't think America as a whole is ready to view that lifestyle as being natural," she said. "It will be a long way down the road before we have a homosexual president or something like that."

Stara said he believes the future looks brighter. He cites polls that show people over 55 are least accepting of gays, while a candidate's sexual orientation makes little difference among people 18 to 25.

> David Wenner and Sue Gleiter are staff writers for The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa.