Same-sex marriage not the end of morality, but evolution of it
By PHILIP GAILEY
Published July 27, 2003
The abortion wars have been raging for three decades, with no end in sight. Now it appears we are headed toward another emotional and divisive fight over whether to legalize homosexual marriage. The debate on this issue was relatively low-key until the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas antisodomy law a few weeks ago. None other than Justice Antonin Scalia spoke for religious and cultural conservatives who see the decision as the end of sexual morality, the family and civilization itself. In his dissent, Scalia warned the majority ruling called into question "state laws against bigamy, same-sex marriage, adult incest, prostitution, masturbation, adultery, fornication, bestiality, and obscenity."
Oh my, the end really is near.
So now we have Republicans calling for a constitutional amendment to ban homosexual marriage, Democrats running for political cover and churches tearing themselves apart over what God would do about it. Most of the Democrats running for president say they support civil unions for gays but not marriage. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts put it this way in a recent interview with the Washington Post: "Marriage is an institution between men and women for the purpose of having children and procreation. . . . I've been willing to take my lumps on everything that I think enhances people's rights and gives people equality, but I think there is something special about the institution of marriage - the oldest institution in the world."
I wonder if Kerry really believes that the institution of marriage would crumble if gays had the legal right to tie the knot? Heterosexuals would keep on getting married and having children and getting divorced. Religious leaders would continue to denounce same-sex unions as a sin and refuse to bless them. The big difference would be that gays would be entitled to all the legal benefits and protections straight couples enjoy. Of course, they could realize most of those benefits from a civil union, which only Vermont recognizes.
Same-sex marriage and abortion have at least one thing in common: Much of the opposition to both is rooted in religion, which if anything makes the public debate even more contentious. It's hard to reason with people who claim to take their orders straight from God. The deity seems to be sending mixed signals: Most religious leaders oppose homosexual marriage, but others support it.
The worldwide Anglican Church community, which includes the Episcopal Church USA, appears on the verge of splitting apart over the issue of gay bishops and same-sex unions. Conservative Episcopal leaders in this country have aligned themselves with Anglican archbishops from Africa, Asia and Australia who oppose accepting a gay bishop or blessing a same-sex union. I assume Episcopal bishops on both sides of this issue are reading the same Bible.
As for the Roman Catholic Church, there's no point in even raising the subject of gay marriage. The church considers homosexuality itself a sin and a lifestyle choice. But the Catholic hierarchy has lost much of its moral authority to speak out against gay marriage or any other sin involving sex. The Catholic church has its own sex scandal to explain. Last week, the Massachusetts attorney general said his 16-month investigation concluded that at least 789 children and probably more than 1,000 have been sexually abused by priests and other church workers in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston since 1940. And that number included only victims who reported their abuse. What's really unforgivable, however, is that the abusive priests were protected by church leaders.
It was not that long ago that most states had antimiscegenation laws. The arguments against interracial marriage then are similar to the arguments against homosexual marriage now - that it was "unnatural," that it was forbidden by the Scriptures, that it would harm children and offend public decency. Of course, as we know now, it really was more about prejudice than anything else.
A recent poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that opposition to gay marriage has dropped significantly among Americans in recent years, with 53 percent opposing same-sex marriages and 38 percent supporting them. In 1996, 65 percent were opposed, with 27 percent favoring. The strongest opposition to gay marriage is among African-Americans, 65 percent today, the same percentage as in 1996.
Gay marriage is not about civil rights. It is about society's evolving social and cultural values. This is an issue that can't be settled in the courts or in the political arena. Getting used to the idea is going to take time. Hearts and minds will change slowly, and in time even people who are uncomfortable with the idea may come around, not so much to support same-sex marriage as to tolerate it. I wonder if our children and grandchildren will look back on this debate and ask what all the fuss was about.
