[Political commentator William Saletin has recently written this and I thought I'd share it...]
A politician can say, "I'm pro-marriage. The issue isn't whether you're straight or gay. The issue is whether you support marriage."
This message strikes directly at the posture of anti-gay forces. In 1996, they overwhelmingly passed—and got President Clinton to sign—the "Defense of Marriage Act," which restricted the applicability of state laws legalizing gay marriage. In this Congress, they've filed the "Marriage Protection Act of 2003," which would bar federal courts from hearing cases related to the 1996 law. Last month, Bush expressed his opposition to gay marriage in a statement proclaiming "Marriage Protection Week." In response to the Massachusetts ruling, he pledged to "defend the sanctity of marriage."
It's an odd claim, since Bush and his allies are the only ones trying to stop anybody from getting married. That's the first point to make in rebutting them. Next, you explain that what you care about isn't sexual orientation but marriage. You allude to the reasons we value marriage: commitment, stability, fidelity, community. Essayists such as Andrew Sullivan and Jonathan Rauch have explained how these considerations justify gay marriage. But a politician under attack doesn't have time to explain. He needs a few simple words that will get people to stop and think before they slam their minds shut.
Once open, the debate is surprisingly winnable...
...Some anti-gay advocates will say marriage is for procreation. But that position is politically disastrous, alienating singles, infertile couples, and any married person who uses contraception. Other critics will warn of moral chaos. But moral chaos is what marriage prevents.
[I'd say that not only is it politically disastrous to say that marriage is for procreation but it's also not true.
I'm personally not yet ready to endorse gay marriages but this article made me start thinking.]
