The Effect of Gay Marriage on Gay Kids

by Michael Jones · 2009-10-08 12:17:00 UTC
Topics:

LGBT Kids

What does the anti-gay rhetoric coming out of forces who fight gay marriage say to LGBT kids?

It's an excellent question. We see anti-gay leaders in Maine saying that same-sex marriage will pollute public schools and teach children immorality. We see anti-gay activists in Washington saying that domestic partnerships will threaten the family and force children to learn about debauchery. We see crazy bishops in D.C. blast same-sex marriage as something detrimental to children in the District.

What do all of these messages combined tell LGBT kids? According to Patrick James over at GOOD Magazine, it reinforces negative stereotypes that could leave gay kids feeling isolated, alone, and unable to strive for some very basic things -- a long-term relationship, kids, a family, etc. It also reinforces the 1950s narrative that anyone with an L, G, B or T describing their sexual orientation can't be virtuous -- a terribly destructive message to be sending to a 12-year-old.

James writes, "Traditionally, [an LGBT] young person is told—whether explicitly or tacitly, by means of our societal mechanisms—that he or she will have no spouse, no children, and no chance to enter into a lifelong social contract with another person. The result is a relegation to isolation."

It's a pretty common sense leap. But it's a fact not worth forgetting about. Perhaps the biggest victims in legislative efforts or ballot measures that kill marriage rights for LGBT people are gay kids.

James concludes, "in a world that celebrates the institution, the perceptive distance between being gay and virtuous collapses, and a young person can look forward to a life of commitment, father- or motherhood, and inclusion in the shared experience that binds us as a people."

Marriage isn't for all people. But it shouldn't be denied to a group of people, either. Not in Maine. Not in Washington state. Not in the District of Columbia. Etc., etc. The effects of doing so are just too damn destructive.

(Photo courtesy of Albany_Tim's photostream on Flickr.)

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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