DOCSLIB.ORG

Book-52817.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Book-52817.Pdf 1 2 3 4 5 6 the politics 7 of 8 9 same-sex marriage 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 the politics 7 of 8 9 same-sex marriage 10 11 edited by 12 craig a. rimmerman 13 14 and 15 clyde wilcox 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 the university of chicago press 29 chicago & london 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 craig rimmerman is professor of public policy studies and political science and currently holds the joseph p. digangi endowed chair in the social sciences at hobart and william smith colleges. clyde wilcox is professor of government at georgetown university. they are co- editors (along with kenneth wald) of THE POLITICS OF GAY RIGHTS (university of chicago press, ). the university of chicago press, ltd., london © by the university of chicago all rights reserved. published printed in the united states of america isbn-: ---- (cloth) isbn-: ---- (paper) isbn-: --- (cloth) isbn-: --- (paper) library of congress cataloging-in-publication data the politics of same-sex marriage : edited by craig a. rimmerman and clyde wilcox. p. cm. includes bibliographical references and index. isbn-: ---- (cloth: alk. paper) isbn-: --- (cloth: alk. paper) isbn-: ---- (pbk.: alk. paper) isbn-: --- (pbk.: alk. paper) . same-sex marriage—united states. same-sex marriage—political aspects—united states. i. rimmerman, craig a. ii. wilcox, clyde, - hq.up .’—dc ᭺ϱ the paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the american national standard for information sciences—permanence of paper for printed library materials, ansi z.–. contents preface Clyde Wilcox ix introduction: the politics of same-sex marriage Mark Carl Rom 1 will the courts set us free? reflections on the campaign for same-sex marriage John D’Emilio 39 the consequences of marriage policy for same-sex couples’ well-being Ellen D. B. Riggle and Sharon S. Rostosky 65 same-sex marriage, glbt organizations, and the lack of spirited political engagement Ronald G. Shaiko 85 theological perspectives on gay unions: the uneasy marriage of religion and politics Kenneth D. Wald and Graham B. Glover 105 religious coalitions for and against gay marriage: the culture war rages on David C. Campbell and Carin Robinson 131 the anti–gay marriage movement Sean Cahill 155 framing the issue of same-sex marriage: traditional values versus equal rights Barry L. Tadlock, C. Ann Gordon, and Elizabeth Popp 193 if i bend this far i will break? public opinion about same-sex marriage Clyde Wilcox, Paul R. Brewer, Shauna Shames, and Celinda Lake 215 same-sex marriage in the election DeWayne L. Lucas 243 the presidency, congress, and same-sex marriage Craig A. Rimmerman 273 ’til death—or the supreme court— do us part: litigating gay marriage Karen O’Connor and Alixandra B. Yanus 291 the politics of same-sex marriage versus the politics of gay civil rights: a comparison of public opinion and state voting patterns Katie Lofton and Donald P. Haider-Markel 313 the united states in comparative context David Rayside 341 list of contributors 365 index 371 preface In 2006 same-sex marriage replaced abortion as the focal issue of cul- tural confl ict. Conservative activists have marched in Washington and barraged the U.S. Senate with letters in support of a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. Gay and lesbian rights activists have also marched and lobbied and have gone to court to challenge state and local laws that bar them from marrying. Th e battle over marriage has involved all branches and levels of government and has been the subject of statewide referenda. Students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and at Georgetown University are very interested in the issue and frequently have strong normative views. But they frequently fi nd the politics of same-sex mar- riage confusing. Th is is not surprising, for the issue is quite complex. First, same-sex marriage is both a new issue on the national and state political agendas and an extension of a much longer set of policy debates that stretches back for several decades. In many ways, the quest for the ix preface right to marry is the logical extension of other eff orts by the gay and lesbian rights movement to decriminalize same-sex behavior, to prohibit discrimination in employment and housing, to serve openly in the mili- tary, and to more generally enjoy the rights and privileges extended to heterosexual citizens. To the extent that same-sex marriage is similar to these other issues, we would expect public attitudes and policies to grow more accommodating over time, as detailed in separate chapters by Mark Carl Rom and by Clyde Wilcox, Paul R. Brewer, Shauna Shames, and Celinda Lake with regard to matters such as employment discrimi- nation and gays and lesbians in the military. Yet marriage is, for many Americans, a substantively diff erent issue than employment discrimination. Many see marriage as an institution created by God and consecrated in a church, and most have mental im- ages of countless heterosexual marriages in their minds as they approach this new issue. To the extent that marriage is a unique issue that taps into diff erent cognitive images and emotional responses, the politics of the issue may remain more constant over time. Second, same-sex marriage is what is often called an “easy” issue for the public to understand, since it does not require complex background information or technical knowledge for one to comprehend it. Sorting out competing plans to lower the cost of prescription drugs requires con- siderable background information and knowledge of economics, but de- ciding whether same-sex marriage should be allowed requires a citizen to merely inventory her values. Yet this does not mean that all Americans fi nd the issue an easy one to resolve. In the heated fi rst reactions to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in that state, many conservative groups urged Americans to “protect” marriage from the long lines of gay and lesbian couples that lined up in San Francisco to marry in the summer of 2004. But there is some evidence that this frame is beginning to lose some of its potency as citizens ponder why allowing those couples to marry would destroy the institution. Surveys show that Americans value traditional marriage and that a majority still believe that homosexuality is sinful. Yet they also value equality, and many have gay and lesbian friends whom they value. Small wonder that polls show such confl icting results, with a majority opposing same-sex marriage when asked a simple yes-no question but majorities also favoring some kind of legal recognition for same-sex couples when asked questions that include the options of marriage, civil union, or no recognition. x preface Th ird, in many ways same-sex marriage activates the same coalitions of groups that fi ght about legal abortion, stem cell research, and other cultural issues. But the coalitions are subtly diff erent in important ways. African American churches have been an important source of opposi- tion to same-sex marriage, for example. And many business groups have opposed referenda that would not only ban same-sex marriage but also forbid companies from providing benefi ts to same-sex couples. Young people are far more supportive of same-sex marriage than older Ameri- cans, adding complexity to the group cleavages. Fourth, same-sex marriage creates complicated issues of federalism. Cities and counties have performed marriages in violation of state law, and states have struggled in some cases over whether to recognize same- sex marriages performed in other states. Some conservatives have pushed to amend the U.S. Constitution to defi ne marriage for all states, but oth- ers object to this national incursion into a policy area that historically has been the province of the states. In the background of this debate, the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act has yet to be decided. If a more conservative Supreme Court permits the act to stand, then married same-sex couples may well have diff erent rights on vacation in some states than others, and the patchwork quilt of state policies may pose serious complications for gay and lesbian couples. If it overturns the act, however, many conservatives who now oppose a federal amendment may favor one to protect the rights of states to defi ne marriage. Finally, there is the tension between issues decided by courts and those decided by legislatures. Conservatives frequently argue that they merely object to activist judges, but it seems likely that some states will adopt same-sex marriage by legislative action in the next decade, and conservatives are unlikely to object less strenuously. Yet liberals are also cautious about resolving the issue in the courts, and some gay and lesbian rights activists reacted with some relief when New York’s state supreme court did not fi nd a right to same-sex marriage in the state’s constitu- tion. Some prochoice activists argue that Roe v. Wade actually shifted the momentum from abortion rights groups that were gradually winning in state legislatures to prolife groups that mobilized in the aftermath of the decision. John D’Emilio suggests that attempts to win marriage in the courts have had disastrous consequences. Yet without a national court decision, it seems unlikely that many states will allow same-sex marriage in any of our lifetimes. xi preface PLAN OF THE BOOK We have put together this collection to help students and faculty bet- ter understand the complexities of the politics of the issue.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Proquest Dissertations
    Forging a Gay Mainstream Negotiating Gay Cinema in the American Hegemony Peter Knegt A Thesis In the Department of Communication Studies Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada August, 2008 ©Peter Knegt, 2008 Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-45467-1 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-45467-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation.
    [Show full text]
  • Transatlantica, 1 | 2008, « Amérique Militante » [En Ligne], Mis En Ligne Le 28 Juillet 2008, Consulté Le 29 Avril 2021
    Transatlantica Revue d’études américaines. American Studies Journal 1 | 2008 Amérique militante Édition électronique URL : http://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/3943 DOI : 10.4000/transatlantica.3943 ISSN : 1765-2766 Éditeur AFEA Référence électronique Transatlantica, 1 | 2008, « Amérique militante » [En ligne], mis en ligne le 28 juillet 2008, consulté le 29 avril 2021. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/3943 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/ transatlantica.3943 Ce document a été généré automatiquement le 29 avril 2021. Transatlantica – Revue d'études américaines est mis à disposition selon les termes de la licence Creative Commons Attribution - Pas d'Utilisation Commerciale - Pas de Modification 4.0 International. 1 SOMMAIRE Dossiers L'Amérique militante Dossier : L’Amérique militante aujourd’hui Introduction Claire Sorin et Sophie Vallas Le militantisme politique aux Etats-Unis au lendemain du 11 septembre 2001 Marianne Debouzy Anti-conservateur, anti-radical, pro-militant : Richard Rorty, ou la séparation de la philosophie et de l’Etat David Barral Quand la liberté de lire est menacée : la lutte de la Campaign for Reader Privacy contre l’article 215 de la loi USA PATRIOT. Cécile Cottenet The Life and Work of Howard Zinn A Study in Radical American History Ambre Ivol Un militantisme aux allures de mission impossible : l’exemple du lobby républicain pro- choice, la Republican Majority for Choice Françoise Coste Militantisme et identités gaies et lesbiennes : quelle identité pour quels objectifs ? Guillaume Marche From Closet Talk to PC Terminology : Gay Speech and the Politics of Visibility Pascale Smorag Politique de la « nouvelle phrase » : quel engagement pour les Language Poets ? Hélène Aji Varia Le MAC de Lyon s’ouvre à l’univers de Keith Haring Angélique Vernier et Anne Crémieux New York, Weegee the Famous Le Pavillon Populaire, Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, Montpellier, jusqu’au 15 septembre 2008, entrée libre du mardi au dimanche, www.montpellier.fr Claude Chastagner Transatlantica, 1 | 2008 2 Comptes rendus Cornelis A.
    [Show full text]
  • Bay Windows Thursday Oct 30, 2008
    Bay Windows Thursday Oct 30, 2008 State races It goes without saying that Bay Windows readers should go to the polls to vote on Election Day, but as the LGBT community learned over the last few years during the marriage debate, there’s more to democracy than just casting a vote. There are several candidates with strong positions on LGBT equality who deserve more than just the community’s vote on Election Day; we should be out in the district for these candidates holding signs and helping the candidates get out the vote. If you live in or near any of their districts and can take time off work on Election Day, contact their campaigns and offer your support as a volunteer. And check out the voter guide on page 4 to see all the LGBT endorsements. Among the top priorities is Sara Orozco’s campaign to unseat anti-gay Wrentham Sen. Scott Brown (Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex district). Orozco is an out lesbian and a Needham psychologist who is particularly passionate about issues facing LGBT youth and elders, and she would be a wonderful addition to the Senate. And it would be poetic justice for an out lesbian to defeat Brown, who is a longtime opponent of marriage equality and who once criticized his predecessor, openly gay Cheryl Jacques, for having children with her partner, calling their family "not normal." Voters should also lend a hand on Election Day to Rep. Jamie Eldridge, who is campaigning to succeed retiring Sen. Pam Resor in the Middlesex and Worcester seat. Eldridge was one of the lawmakers on the frontlines of the fight to protect marriage equality, and he would continue Resor’s legacy of support for LGBT rights in the Senate.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gift of Anger: Use Passion to Build Not Destroy
    If you enjoy this excerpt… consider becoming a member of the reader community on our website! Click here for sign-up form. Members automatically get 10% off print, 30% off digital books. The Gift of Anger The Gift of Anger Use Passion to Build Not Destroy • Joe Solmonese • The Gift of Anger Copyright © 2016 by Joe Solmonese All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distrib- uted, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior writ- ten permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. 1333 Broadway, Suite 1000 Oakland, CA 94612-1921 Tel: (510) 817-2277, Fax: (510) 817-2278 www.bkconnection.com Ordering information for print editions Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by cor- porations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the Berrett-Koehler address above. Individual sales. Berrett-Koehler publications are available through most bookstores. They can also be ordered directly from Berrett-Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626; www.bkconnection.com Orders for college textbook/course adoption use. Please contact Berrett- Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626. Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact Ingram Publisher Services, Tel: (800) 509-4887; Fax: (800) 838-1149; E-mail: customer .service@ingram publisher services .com; or visit www .ingram publisher services .com/ Ordering for details about electronic ordering.
    [Show full text]
  • Reach Out: the Newsletter of Maine Speakout Project (Fall 2005)
    University of Southern Maine USM Digital Commons Reach Out Periodicals Fall 2005 Reach Out: the newsletter of Maine Speakout Project (Fall 2005) Maine Speakout Project Community Counseling Center Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/reach_out Part of the American Studies Commons, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons Recommended Citation Maine Speakout Project and Community Counseling Center, "Reach Out: the newsletter of Maine Speakout Project (Fall 2005)" (2005). Reach Out. 3. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/reach_out/3 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Periodicals at USM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reach Out by an authorized administrator of USM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. the newsletter of REACH Ou, Maine Speakout Project Fall 2005 • 343 Forest Avenue • Portland, ME 04101 • 207.874.1030 • tty 207.874.1043 SPEAK OUT Maine Speakout Project is a Progra111 of Community Counseling Center~ Summer at Maine Speakout Project Celebrating Our Progress, Remembering Our Losses This summer brought a lot of new and wonderful changes to MSOP. We moved offices in June. 2nd Annual MSOP is now housed with Community Counseling Center's Deaf Counseling Services at 43 Baxter Transgender Day of Remembrance Boulevard. Our new space is bright and open and located conveniently near Hannaford and Back Saturday, November 19, 2005 Cove. While our mailing address has remained the same, 43 Baxter has given us the opportunity to expand the office and re-open the Charlie Howard Memorial Library (CHML).
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to the Human Rights Campaign Records, 1975-2005. Collection Number: 7712
    Guide to the Human Rights Campaign Records, 1975-2005. Collection Number: 7712 Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections Cornell University Library Contact Information: Compiled Date EAD Date Division of Rare and by: completed: encoding: modified: Manuscript Collections Brenda February 2007 Peter Martinez Jude Corina, 2B Carl A. Kroch Library Marston, Rima and Evan Fay June 2015 Cornell University Turner Earle, February Ithaca, NY 14853 2007 (607) 255-3530 Sarah Keen, Fax: (607) 255-9524 January 2008 [email protected] Sarah Keen, June http://rmc.library.cornell.edu 2009 Christine Bonilha, October 2010- April 2011 Bailey Dineen, February 2014 © 2007 Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY Title: Human Rights Campaign records, 1975-2005. Collection Number: 7712 Creator: Human Rights Campaign (U.S.). Quantity: 109.4 cubic feet Forms of Material: Correspondence, Financial Records, Photographs, Printed Materials, Publications Repository: Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library Abstract: Project files, correspondence, financial and administrative records, subject files, press clippings, photographs, and miscellany that, taken together, provide a broad overview of the American movement for lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual rights starting in 1980. HRC(F)'s lobbying, voter mobilization efforts, and grassroots organizing throughout the United States are well documented, as are its education and outreach efforts and the work of its various units that have
    [Show full text]
  • Quest for Quotidian: a National Survey of Non-Heterosexual Attitudes Toward Marriage
    UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 5-2009 Quest for Quotidian: A National Survey of Non-Heterosexual Attitudes Toward Marriage Troy A. McGinnis University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Community-Based Research Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, and the Philosophy Commons Repository Citation McGinnis, Troy A., "Quest for Quotidian: A National Survey of Non-Heterosexual Attitudes Toward Marriage" (2009). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 1201. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/2754289 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. QUEST FOR QUOTIDIAN: A NATIONAL SURVEY OF NON-HETEROSEXUAL ATTITUDES TOWARD MARRIAGE by Troy A. McGinnis Bachelor of Arts The University of Texas at Austin 1995 Master of Arts University of Nevada, Las Vegas 1999 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Sociology Department of Sociology College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2009 UMI Number: 3384004 Copyright 2009 by McGinnis, Troy A.
    [Show full text]
  • At the Edges of Queer 1 at the Edges of Queer: Navigating Ambiguity In
    At the Edges of Queer 1 At the Edges of Queer: Navigating Ambiguity in Identity, Community, and Politics Madeline Batzli Senior Thesis Oberlin College Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies Department At the Edges of Queer 2 At the Edges of Queer: Navigating Ambiguity in Identity, Community, and Politics When queer took the world of AIDS activism and the academy by storm in the late 20th century, activists and academics leapt to understand and define this reclaimed word and predict its trajectory. Some academics claimed that queer would avoid obsolescence, remaining an anti- assimilationist beacon for activists, while others worried that lumping anyone with non- normative sexualities or lifestyle practices under the same umbrella would inaccurately homogenize disparate groups and detract from specific causes. This study aims to understand the meanings of the word queer among students at Oberlin College today, over a quarter century after the beginning of the word’s reclamation. Through semi-structured in-depth interviews, I asked 17 non-heterosexual or non-cisgender students to describe their relationships with and perceptions of the word queer at their college and in other places they’ve lived, keeping this question at the core of my research: How are Oberlin College students using queer today, and how do uses of this word impact and interact with the ways in which Oberlin students conceive of identity, community, and politics? I interviewed several Case Western Reserve University students to better understand how current uses of queer in Oberlin are particular to this time and place. My findings indicate that queer’s multiple meanings as an identity term and a synonym of non-normative cause it to occupy a position of tension as a simultaneously fixed and relational term.
    [Show full text]
  • APA Newsletters NEWSLETTER on PHILOSOPHY and LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, and TRANSGENDER ISSUES Volume 09, Number 1 Fall 2009
    APA Newsletters NEWSLETTER ON PHILOSOPHY AND LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, and TRANSGENDER ISSUES Volume 09, Number 1 Fall 2009 LGBT COMMITTEE, 2009-2010 FROM THE EDITOR, TIMOTHY F. MURPHY ARTICLE RICHARD NUNAN “Constitutional Rights versus State Autonomy and Direct Democracy: The Story So Far on Same-Sex Marriage” © 2009 by The American Philosophical Association APA NEWSLETTER ON Philosophy and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues Timothy F. Murphy, Editor Fall 2009 Volume 09, Number 1 U.S. Constitution’s full faith and credit clause,3 to recognize OMMITTEE unorthodox marriage licensing procedures in a sister state. LGBT C 2009-2010 The federal courts have always been reluctant to enforce this principle against expressly contradictory public policy in another state, however.4 Given that judicial history, many states began Talia Bettcher, Chair; Loren Cannon, Margaret Denike, Kimberly the process of making contrary popular sentiment explicit by J. Leighton; Lanei Rodemeyer; Lori Watson; Shannon Winnubst; means of DOMA statutes—first in Utah in 1995, followed by and Timothy F. Murphy. Idaho, South Carolina, and Illinois in the spring of 1996. The federal DOMA was passed in September of 1996, and the publicity associated with that precipitated a flood of state DOMA initiatives between 1996 and 2000—twenty-nine additional FROM THE EDITOR DOMAs during that period, a total of thirty-seven to date. Over the past decade, anti-gay marriage forces shifted from a campaign for statutory marriage reform to the more We are devoting this entire issue to the matter of gay and radical (because more permanent) strategy of conveying lesbian marriage, as one of the most important political and state-wide public policy sentiment by means of constitutional moral issues of the day.
    [Show full text]
  • The Same-Sex Marriage Campaign in the Age of Neoliberalism
    The Japanese Journal of American Studies, No. 26 (2015) Copyright © 2015 Ayumu Kaneko. All rights reserved. This work may be used, with this notice included, for noncommercial purposes. No copies of this work may be distributed, electronically or otherwise, in whole or in part, without permission from the author. The Same-Sex Marriage Campaign in the Age of Neoliberalism Ayumu KANEKO* IS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE THE STORY OF AMERICAN FREEDOM? America’s move toward legalization of same-sex marriage has accelerated in the last decade. In 2004, only Massachusetts had legalized marriage of same-sex couples. As of January 1, 2015, same-sex marriage is legal in thirty-six states and the District of Columbia. The US Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the main premise of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which limits marriage only to heterosexual couples, is unconstitutional.1 Since the early twenty-first century, the same-sex marriage movement has gained momentum. US public opinion has drastically changed in regard to same-sex marriage over the last decade. According to a poll by the Pew Research Center in 2003, 58 percent of Americans opposed same-sex marriage, and only 33 percent approved of it; in 2013, 49 percent approved of it, whereas 44 percent opposed it. In particular, nearly 70 percent of millennials approved of it.2 The United States seems to be experiencing a trend toward the public acceptance of legal same-sex marriage. Supporters of same-sex marriage have described their cause as the road to more perfect American freedom. In 2004, Evan Wolfson, a lawyer, founded Freedom to Marry, a nonprofit organization to further the same-sex *Assistant Professor, Meiji University 169 170 AYUMU KANEKO marriage campaign, and published a book supporting same-sex marriage.
    [Show full text]
  • Queer Necropolitics
    Queer Necropolitics Queer Necropolitics mobilizes the concept of ‘necropolitics’ in order to illuminate everyday death worlds, from more expected sites such as war, torture or imperial invasion to the mundane and normalized violence of racism and gender norm - ativity, the market, and the prison–industrial complex. Contributors here inter- rogate the distinction between valuable and pathological lives by attending to the symbiotic co-constitution of queer subjects folded into life, and queerly abjected racialized populations marked for death. Drawing on diverse yet comple mentary methodologies, including textual and visual analysis, ethnography and histori - ography, the authors argue that the distinction between ‘war’ and ‘peace’ dissolves in the face of the banality of death in the zones of abandonment that regularly accompany contemporary democratic regimes. This book comes at a time when the intrinsic and self-evident value of queer rights and protections, from gay marriage to hate crimes, is increasingly put in question. It assembles writings that explore the new queer vitalities within their wider context of structural violence and neglect. Moving between diverse geo - political contexts – the US and the UK, Guatemala and Palestine, the Philippines, Iran and Israel – the chapters in this volume interrogate claims to queerness in the face(s) of death, both spectacular and everyday. The book will appeal to activist scholars and students from various social sciences and humanities, particularly those across the fields of law, cultural and media studies, gender, sexuality and intersectionality studies, race, and conflict studies, as well as those studying nationalism, colonialism, prisons and war. It should be read by all those trying to make sense of the contradictions inherent in regimes of rights, citizenship and diversity.
    [Show full text]
  • Civil Rights in the New Millennium by Swanee Hunt, Scripps Howard News Service, July 20, 2005
    Civil Rights in the New Millennium by Swanee Hunt, Scripps Howard News Service, July 20, 2005 When Cheryl Jacques walks into a room, she commands attention. Tall, elegant, and professional, she has a broad smile and firm handshake. The proud mother of mischievous twin three year-old boys, Cheryl balances her rewarding family life with a robust career. An accomplished lawyer, she served six terms in the Massachusetts State Senate and was known for authoring one of the nation’s toughest gun control laws. She currently practices law in Boston and will be a Fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics this fall. Cheryl has long been an outspoken leader in the modern civil rights movement; in fact, she’s gay. Many gays and lesbians share their sexual identity—and the many challenges they face —with family and friends. Still, many straight Americans don’t know what gays are really up against. In 34 states, they can be fired based on sexual orientation alone. When Cheryl told her father about this fact, he reacted as many do: “Not in America!” But it’s true, and that’s only one strand of a larger pattern of discrimination. In hospitals around the country, gays and lesbians are often prevented from visiting loved ones during medical emergencies because they’re not legally recognized as next of kin. Cheryl shared with me the story of a woman who recently passed away after a long battle with cancer. The coroner refused to allow her life partner to sign the death certificate. What a bitter moment for the woman who had nursed her for a year and a half.
    [Show full text]