SSM AND BULLYING: Matt Taylor

I agree with R.K. Becker that legalization of SSM would probably have little effect in reducing harassment and bullying of gays. As R.K. argues:

It is among the minority that tends to engage in intolerant acts toward people who are different that any reduction in anti-gay sentiment would have to come. And I am not at all persuaded that this group will become any less intolerant toward gays because SSM is legalized.

On the other hand, I believe the SSM debate itself is having a significant effect in reducing the kind of anti-gay behavior to which R.K. refers. In the context of the policy debate, opponents of SSM are only able to formulate a compelling position by rejecting overt hostility and/or violence toward gays. The result is that, across the political spectrum, public figures are reinforcing the idea that gay bashing is immoral. In decades past, our leaders' silence on this question may have allowed some to convince themselves that attacking gays is morally acceptable; this is no longer the case.

posted by Eve at 7:48 PM VOTE

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