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Will Gay Marriage Decide Our Next Election?

Posted by Chris Berry on May 29, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Political Parties

A recent ruling by the California Supreme Court to overturn the state’s ban on gay marriage virtually assures that our upcoming national elections will be decided once again on the basis of a divisive wedge issue, rather than on the real problems we face as a nation. Apathetic voters may not feel the need to cast a ballot on serious issues like war, health care, energy independence, a faltering economy, global food shortages, or the impending meltdown of our Medicare and Social Security systems, but the major political parties know that they can always rally their bases around nonsense issues like flag burning or gay marriage.

In many respects, I am a steadfast traditionalist, but I fail to see how a same-sex couple seeking legal recognition of their long-term relationship can in any way lessen the significance of my marriage. The real threats to traditional marriage in this country are not homosexuality, but our high divorce rate, our willingness to accept long-term cohabitation as a socially acceptable alternative, and the staggering number of children born out of wedlock. Traditional marriage in this country has been on the decline for over 40 years already, and allowing a tiny minority of our population equal access to the legal benefits of marriage will not hasten the decline.

The reality of the situation is that marriage is actually two separate institutions, and our government can only bring about change to one of them. From the traditionalist point of view, marriage is a religious institution, and no court order or constitutional amendment can ever alter that fact. As our society becomes more tolerant, progressive churches will gradually accept the notion of gay marriage, and those more bound by traditional beliefs will not. Both groups will be well within their rights to address the issue as they see fit, and individual members will be free to seek out congregations that best represent their personal values and beliefs.

The debate in California is not about religion, rather it centers on marriage as a civil institution and the corresponding legal rights and responsibilities that come along with that commitment. Laws in many states prevent lifelong partners from making medical decisions for one another, bequeathing their estates, or even visiting each other in the hospital. Only the most blatantly bigoted individuals would agree that these restrictions make sense, and these are the folks most likely to cast their votes on the basis of this single issue. As the results of the Democratic primaries in West Virginia and Kentucky demonstrate, bigotry is still alive and well in America.

There are a couple of issues more problematic than hospital visitation rights, that even the most open-minded among us should pause to consider. The surviving spouse benefit paid by Social Security is a relic from a bygone era, when men were the sole breadwinners for their families, and women stayed home to raise children. Should we expand an already bankrupt system to provide survivor benefits to homosexual spouses, or might this issue actually be the catalyst needed to finally overhaul the system? The fact is that gays pay into the system just like everyone else, and should have the same expectation when it comes to receiving benefits.

The most problematic issue surrounding gay marriage is whether private employers can be forced to provide health insurance and other benefits to same-sex spouses. Employers are already struggling with rising health care costs, and even though the number of married same-sex couples will always be small, they will contribute to the burden. What happens to business owners who oppose gay marriage based on their sincere religious beliefs, but are required by law to provide benefits? What about those who might claim religious beliefs for the sole purpose of denying those benefits? What about gay couples entering into sham marriages for the sole purpose of defrauding employers? These are questions that will require vigorous debate.

Opinion polls indicate that the idea of same-sex marriage is gaining public acceptance, and the tide seems to be turning pretty rapidly. Hopefully we will be able to move beyond this issue in time for the 2012 elections, but we can always count on the entrenched parties to find another wedge to drive between us before then.

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