Gay Marriage Opposition: Cultural Genocide

Gay marriage is most often framed as a civil rights issue. But society denies gay people more than just civil rights by prohibiting same-sex marriage: it denies them a component of American cultural life. By banning gay marriage, civil society commits an act of cultural genocide against a minority within it.

A 2010 Pew Research/Time poll showed that over 60% of Americans want to get married. If asked whether they would get married after finding “the right person” the number increases. Given this research, it is safe to say that marriage holds an important place in American culture. Marriage is not just a right, it is a lifestyle that the majority of Americans aspire to.

Ironically, gay marriage opposition provides the best evidence that marriage is an essential part of American culture. People and organizations who oppose same-sex marriage refer to marriage as a “sacred institution”. The connotations of this term are not just religious, they are cultural. Advocates for marriage between one man and one woman frequently employ words like “family”, “American values”, and “institution” to explain their so-called defense of marriage. They correctly understand that marriage has a role in families and in society at large. Conservative columnist David Brooks, though a moderate by today’s standards, makes a very conservative case for gay marriage based on these priciples. (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/22/opinion/the-power-of-marriage.html)

Further evidence that marriage’s importance is cultural rather than religious lies in the “everything but” argument. Many Americans oppose same-sex marriage but do not view homosexuality as illegitimate or a moral wrong. To appear that they support gay rights, they support civil unions and policies that would give gay and lesbian couples some of the legal and economic benefits of marriage without granting them civil marriages. They recognize that gay rights pose no threat to religion, but neglect the status of marriage as a cultural institution.

Marriage is by no means necessary for a family or individual to be successful or happy. Nor is it a moral prerequisite for cohabitation or creating a family. However, marriage is an American cultural institution that the majority of Americans support, and desire in their own lives. If we accept this, then denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry is not just a blatant civil rights abuse. It is robbing a minority population of the right to perform a cultural practice, and therefore is a form of cultural genocide.