A beacon to the future

THE BREATHLESS instant analysis of the role gay marriage played in the 2004 elections has had some weeks to settle down, and, inevitably, things are not as simple as they seemed. Claims that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision upholding same-sex marriage cost John Kerry the presidency have not held up. Worse have been suggestions, even by supporters, that gay marriage should be placed on the back burner until the mood of the country improves. The issue needs more discussion and debate, not less.

ADVERTISEMENT

Gay rights champions in Congress, from Dianne Feinstein to Barney Frank, theorized in the days after Nov. 2 that news footage of gay couples kissing in their veils and tuxedos was too much for Middle America to take. Frank pointed to thousands of same-sex couples wed in San Francisco as particularly galling because they were illegal -- unlike gay marriages in Massachusetts. But the sit-ins at the Woolworth's lunch counters were illegal, too. Every liberation movement has its vanguard.

And every such movement has its setbacks. It is sobering that 11 states passed antimarriage amendments or other ballot measures. Many supporters of gay marriage thought this particular claim to equality would be more acceptable because marriage is a fundamentally conservative institution. They underestimated how proprietary many conservatives are about the institution. Still, exit polls indicate social conservatives and evangelical Christians did not vote in ratios greater than four years ago.

In Massachusetts, the ranks of legislators who oppose the constitutional amendment banning gay marrige increased. Incumbents who were targeted for their votes against the amendment back in March were reelected by wide margins. Perhaps this is because Massacusetts is a liberal state. Or perhaps it is because Massachusetts is the only state with real experience in gay marriage -- and an utterly mundane experience it has proven to be.

The prospects for gay marriage nationally also are not as dire as some believe. Sixty-two percent of voters in exit polls said they supported some kind of legal recognition for same-sex couples, whether it be called marriage or civil union. We on this page believe that civil unions are not adequate to bring full equality to gay citizens. But five years ago civil unions were a radical social departure. Attitudes are changing rapidly, especially among Americans under age 30.

Those younger people represent the future, and we are proud that Massachusetts is a beacon to the future. But extending gay civil rights across America requires more illumination. The more same-sex couples are seen mowing the lawn, attending PTA meetings, and raising children in loving homes, the more ordinary gay marriage will be. Sending the issue back into the closet cannot be the answer.