The Politics of Same-Sex Marriage : PS Analyses

[jefferson_dem]

The current issue of PS, the professional publication of the American Political Science Association, includes a very informative series of articles on "the politics of same-sex marriage."

Only the introduction and commentary, by Gary Segura (U. of Iowa), is available online but it provides a nice summary of key findings. Sadly, the forecast is not sunny for our side. Here's a small snippet. Find the full article in PDF format at the link below.

Same sex marriage as an issue, then, represents a particularly crucial moment in American politicla history, and for gay Americans the stakes are extremely high.

First, the passage of state amendments banning same-sex marriate has had the additional effect of undoing a great deal of progress already achieved...

Second, we are likely witnessing the beginning of what may be a long period of defeat for gay and lesbian causes...

http://www.apsanet.org/section_223.cfm

[sui generis]

1. well, besides "marriage"

what other causes are specifically gay?

Discrimination based on sexual orientation is not a gay issue. A straight boss can fire his straight employees for being straight if he has no other legal recourse to fire someone he doesn't like.

We let the other side (and ourselves) frame discrimination as a gay issue and so we lose before we've even started.

Seriously though, what "gay" issues use the word "gay" or "homosexual" in the wording of the law? None. Gay issues are issues that are impacted by laws that don't exist yet or that exist to discriminate based upon sexual orientation, which is a two edged sword for heteros too.