Same-sex marriage a year later: For better or worse?

[Ian David]

Same-sex marriage a year later: For better or worse?
Supporters and opponents of gays and lesbians exchanging legal vows are fighting in courts of both law and public opinion
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
BILL GRAVES

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Opinions vary on whether the rush to marry gay and lesbian couples in Portland, San Francisco and other cities early last year produced a political backlash or victory for same-sex marriage.

Tim Nashif, political director for the Defense of Marriage Coalition and sponsor of Measure 36, says approval of his measure and similar initiatives in 10 other states on Nov. 2 set back gay activists.They show that "the people of America and Oregon do not want same-sex marriage," he says. "I don't think public opinion has changed at all."

Americans have become more solidified against same-sex marriage and more willing to support measures to prohibit it, says the Rev. Louis Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, a Christian group based in Washington, D.C. Seventeen states are considering constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage.

"We will continue to take it on the chin with these marriage amendments," says Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, based in Washington, D.C. "But, ultimately, history is going to judge them mean-spirited, divisive and prejudiced." The gay-rights movement saw victories that, on balance, advanced the push for same-sex marriage, he says. The flurry of gay and lesbian marriages a year ago forced people to confront the issue, which eventually will lead to better understanding and broader support, he says.

More:
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