Nine years ago, when the Supreme Court enshrined same-sex marriage as a national right, President Barack Obama celebrated the ruling by remarking that progress "often comes in small increments, sometimes two steps forward, one step back." But his words also were an inadvertent warning. While in some countries the legalization of gay marriage has ushered in a new era of L.G.B.T.Q. equality and inclusion, in others — and especially in the United States — it has created an opening for new forms of discrimination and exclusion. That's one of the major insights I came to while researching my forthcoming book "Framing Equality: The Politics of Gay Marriage Wars," an attempt to examine the politics of gay marriage through transnational lenses. At the heart of the book is the concept of "framing," shorthand for the claims and appeals made by gay activists for ending the exclusion of gay and lesbian couples from the institution of marriage. I argue that how a gay marriage campaign is framed determines the strength of the backlash and the effect on L.G.B.T.Q. equality. As I explain in my guest essay this week for Times Opinion, America's gay marriage campaign, seen from a global perspective, is notable for its very modest framing. Its core message emphasized how exclusionary marriage laws denied gay and lesbian couples benefits such as tax advantages, inheritance rights and hospital visitation privileges. By using this modest framing, the campaign missed a major opportunity to make a more ambitious case for L.G.B.T.Q. equality, as activists did in, for example, Spain and Brazil. For the most part, the U.S. campaign did not defend the morality and dignity of homosexual relationships. Nor did it confront the Christian right on its depiction of gay marriage as a threat to the family and to religious freedom. By failing to do so, the campaign limited the transformative power of gay marriage and helped enable today's backlash against L.G.B.T.Q. rights.
We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Games Here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times.
|
Saturday, June 29, 2024
Opinion Today: In the United States, gay marriage was a missed opportunity
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Page List
Blog Archive
- October 2024 (874)
- September 2024 (2667)
- August 2024 (3156)
- July 2024 (3241)
- June 2024 (3107)
- May 2024 (3196)
- April 2024 (3104)
- March 2024 (3192)
- February 2024 (3006)
- January 2024 (3261)
- December 2023 (3176)
- November 2023 (3188)
- October 2023 (3191)
- September 2023 (2961)
- August 2023 (3120)
- July 2023 (3024)
- June 2023 (3042)
- May 2023 (3205)
- April 2023 (3030)
- March 2023 (2986)
- February 2023 (2584)
- January 2023 (2694)
- December 2022 (2745)
- November 2022 (2899)
- October 2022 (2916)
- September 2022 (2970)
- August 2022 (2981)
- July 2022 (2814)
- June 2022 (2759)
- May 2022 (2768)
- April 2022 (2692)
- March 2022 (2851)
- February 2022 (2550)
- January 2022 (2715)
- December 2021 (2641)
- November 2021 (2745)
- October 2021 (2836)
- September 2021 (2847)
- August 2021 (2756)
- July 2021 (2572)
- June 2021 (2738)
- May 2021 (2579)
- April 2021 (2698)
- March 2021 (2789)
- February 2021 (2532)
- January 2021 (2617)
- December 2020 (2664)
- November 2020 (2637)
- October 2020 (2824)
- September 2020 (2745)
- August 2020 (2704)
- July 2020 (2749)
- June 2020 (2669)
- May 2020 (2199)
- April 2020 (4060)
- March 2020 (5898)
- February 2020 (6963)
- January 2020 (7455)
- December 2019 (10)
Search This Blog
Breaking news: Han Kang is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
The South Korean author is best known for "The Vegetarian." View in browser | nytimes.com October 10, 2024 BREAKING NEWS Jean Ch...
-
View Images Library Photos and Pictures. Как сделать усилитель сигнала сотовой связи своими руками Усилитель 3G сигнала своими руками Антен...
-
Download Images Library Photos and Pictures. 3 Graduation Invitation Letter Sample Invitation Letter Sample Invitation Letter To Friend For...
No comments:
Post a Comment