by DAVID MASCI
Status of the Gay
Marriage Debate
I
N RECENT YEARS, the debate over prompted an entirely new court battle deeply divided over the issue of same-sex
same-sex marriage has grown from an over whether the just-approved ballot ini- marriage. The Catholic Church and many
issue that occasionally arose in a few tiative itself was constitutional. That battle evangelical Christian groups have played a
states to a nationwide controversy. In ended in May 2009, when the California leading role in public opposition to gay
the last year alone, three states have Supreme Court upheld the constitutional- marriage, while mainline Protestant
banned same-sex marriage and four states ity of Proposition 8. churches and other religious groups wrestle
have legalized the practice. with whether to ordain gay clergy and per-
Recently, both sides in the debate have
Differing Views
form same-sex wedding ceremonies. [For
scored important victories. In April 2009, Most supporters of same-sex marriage instance, in July 2009 the Episcopal
for example, Iowa’s Supreme Court ruled contend that gay and lesbian couples Church voted to lift a ban on gay bishops.]
that the state’s constitution guarantees gays should be treated no differently than
and lesbians the right to wed; the high their heterosexual counterparts and
The Road Ahead
court in Connecticut had issued a similar should therefore be able to marry like Opponents of same-sex marriage note
ruling in May 2008. Meanwhile, gay mar- anyone else. They point out that homo- that whenever voters have had an oppor-
riage advocates also won important legisla- sexual couples who have been together tunity to weigh in on the issue—even in
tive victories in a number of states, begin- for years often find themselves without a more socially liberal state such as Cali-
ning in April 2009 when the Vermont Leg- the basic rights and privileges that are fornia—they almost always vote against
islature legalized same-sex marriage. The currently enjoyed by heterosexual cou- gay marriage. These opponents hope to
Vermont law marked the first time gay ples who legally marry—from the sharing continue placing constitutional bans on
marriage was legalized as the result of a of health and pension benefits to hospital the ballot and are targeting Iowa, among
statute rather than a court ruling. By the visitation rights. other states, in the hope of reversing that
end of May 2009, two other state legisla- Those who oppose same-sex marriage state’s recent Supreme Court decision.
tures, those in Maine and New Hampshire, argue that marriage between a man and a Both sides also are gearing up for a
followed suit, bringing the total number of woman is the bedrock of a healthy soci- renewed fight at the federal level. For
states that allow same-sex marriage to six. ety because it leads to stable families and, example, there has been some movement
In June 2009, President Barack Obama ultimately, to children who grow up to in the U.S. Congress to amend or repeal
granted family medical leave and certain be productive adults. Allowing gay and the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act
other benefits to the same-sex partners of lesbian couples to wed, they contend, (DOMA), a step President Obama supports.
federal workers. The presidential memoran- will radically redefine marriage and fur- Indeed, in June 2009, when Obama grant-
dum did not, however, include health ther weaken it at a time when the institu- ed limited benefits to the same-sex part-
insurance coverage, which would require tion is already in serious trouble as a ners of federal workers, he stated that he
congressional approval. result of high divorce rates and a signifi- could not offer them medical insurance
Opponents of gay marriage have also cant number of out-of-wedlock births. because of the federal DOMA and took the
had some success in recent years. In Moreover, many predict that giving gay opportunity to call for its repeal.
November 2008, for instance, voters in couples the right to marry will ultimately
California, Florida and Arizona approved lead to granting people in polygamous David Masci is senior research fellow for the
ballot initiatives amending their state con- and other nontraditional relationships Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion &
stitutions to prohibit same-sex marriage, the right to marry as well. Public Life. Find more information on this
raising the total number of states that The American religious community is issue at www.pewforum.org/gay-marriage.
have passed such constitutional amend-
ments to 29. The vote in California, on a
THE CHURCH OF GOD opposes gay marriage, as is made clear
ballot measure known as Proposition 8,
in its statement on the Sanctity of Marriage: “Marriage is ordained
was particularly notable since it over-
by God and is a spiritual union in which a man and woman are
turned a May 2008 California Supreme
joined by God to live together as one” (Church of God Book of
Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage
Discipline, Church Order, and Governance).
in that state. Passage of Proposition 8 also
28 EVANGEL • SEP 2009
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