For at least a couple decades, gay-rights proponents have made strides by comparing discrimination based on sexual orientation to discrimination based on race. However, such a comparison seems to have fallen short in California's recent passage of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage (after the state's supreme court had ruled last spring to allow gay marriages under California's constitution). Now, proponents of same-sex marriage are reflecting on what prompted the majority of voters to vote for Barak Obama but vote against gay marriage. For one, the "homophobia is like racial discrimination" argument did not hold up with enough voters.
A recent piece on Slate.com reconsiders the anaolgy, especially in terms of gender roles, including this comment:
If we avoid the tempting but misleading analogy to race and look at what's directly at stake, the combination of widespread opposition to same-sex marriage and equally widespread support for other gay rights is easier to understand. Gay rights in employment and civil unions don't require the elimination of longstanding and culturally potent sex roles. Same-sex marriage does. And while a lot of people reject the narrow and repressive sex roles of the past, many others long for the kind of meaningful gender identities that traditional marriage seems to offer.
Across the nation today, many people rallied in support of same-sex marriage. Here's the coverage from the New York Times.
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