shegeek72
2006-06-22 03:18:32 UTC
http://www.freedomtomarry.org/document_print.asp?id=1443
Since 1989, gay marriage has been a reality in Scandinavia. And in
Scandinavia, just as is happening now in the U.S., many members of the
religious right predicted 'terrible consequences' for the institution
of marriage, and for society in general, as a result.
Yet now, 15 years after the first of these countries (Denmark)
legalized gay marriage in the form of registered partnerships, the
results are in: not only has gay marriage worked flawlessly in
Scandinavia, the institution of marriage may have benefited as a
result. Indeed, we now see that the main "consequences" of allowing
gays and lesbians to marry have been to create safety and security for
same-sex couples who have chosen to live their lives together.
Of course, the fact that gay marriage has been a positive force in
Scandinavian society, and has been accepted by the public at large, is
something that the right-wing in the U.S. doesn't want to hear, and
refuses to believe. In a recent article in the Weekly Standard,
right-wing academic Stanley Kurtz, associated with the conservative
Hoover Institution, attempts to make the argument that gay marriage in
Scandinavia has had a negative impact on marriage and a negative social
impact in general.
It borders on the ironic that Kurtz should choose to attack the social
culture of the Scandinavian countries, which have the lowest poverty
rates in the world, the highest education rates, and a greater level of
equality for women than any other set of countries. Yet the fact that
gay marriage in Scandinavia has been integrated and accepted into their
cultures without a hitch has created a great deal of fear among members
of the right in the U.S., who worry, with good reason, that such
positive results will cast doubt upon their claims that allowing gays
and lesbians to marry in this country will have a negative impact on
the "sanctity of marriage".
[...]
It is interesting to note that, in Scandinavia, just as in the U.S.,
those on the right predicted that passage of gay marriage legislation
would lead to the downfall of the institution of marriage. However, in
looking at statistics from the 1990s, we see that in the years after
the passage of gay marriage legislation in Denmark, the rates of
heterosexual marriage went up, and the rates of heterosexual divorce
went down, completely contrary to the predictions of conservatives.
Tara
Since 1989, gay marriage has been a reality in Scandinavia. And in
Scandinavia, just as is happening now in the U.S., many members of the
religious right predicted 'terrible consequences' for the institution
of marriage, and for society in general, as a result.
Yet now, 15 years after the first of these countries (Denmark)
legalized gay marriage in the form of registered partnerships, the
results are in: not only has gay marriage worked flawlessly in
Scandinavia, the institution of marriage may have benefited as a
result. Indeed, we now see that the main "consequences" of allowing
gays and lesbians to marry have been to create safety and security for
same-sex couples who have chosen to live their lives together.
Of course, the fact that gay marriage has been a positive force in
Scandinavian society, and has been accepted by the public at large, is
something that the right-wing in the U.S. doesn't want to hear, and
refuses to believe. In a recent article in the Weekly Standard,
right-wing academic Stanley Kurtz, associated with the conservative
Hoover Institution, attempts to make the argument that gay marriage in
Scandinavia has had a negative impact on marriage and a negative social
impact in general.
It borders on the ironic that Kurtz should choose to attack the social
culture of the Scandinavian countries, which have the lowest poverty
rates in the world, the highest education rates, and a greater level of
equality for women than any other set of countries. Yet the fact that
gay marriage in Scandinavia has been integrated and accepted into their
cultures without a hitch has created a great deal of fear among members
of the right in the U.S., who worry, with good reason, that such
positive results will cast doubt upon their claims that allowing gays
and lesbians to marry in this country will have a negative impact on
the "sanctity of marriage".
[...]
It is interesting to note that, in Scandinavia, just as in the U.S.,
those on the right predicted that passage of gay marriage legislation
would lead to the downfall of the institution of marriage. However, in
looking at statistics from the 1990s, we see that in the years after
the passage of gay marriage legislation in Denmark, the rates of
heterosexual marriage went up, and the rates of heterosexual divorce
went down, completely contrary to the predictions of conservatives.
Tara
--
Tara's Transgender Resources
http://users4.ev1.net/~taragem
Tara's Transgender Resources
http://users4.ev1.net/~taragem