At the end of December, 2004, Spain passed legislation recognizing the right of same-sex couples to marry. It thus joined Belgium and the Netherlands as the third European country to legalize gay marriage. Sweden and Denmark have previously extended civil union legislation to same-sex couples; under their laws, gays have most, but not all, of the rights accorded to heterosexual citizens.
At the end of December, 2004, Spain passed legislation recognizing the right of same-sex couples to marry. It thus joined Belgium and the Netherlands as the third European country to legalize gay marriage. Sweden and Denmark have previously extended civil union legislation to same-sex couples; under their laws, gays have most, but not all, of the rights accorded to heterosexual citizens.
Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands have all historically been socially progressive; the action by Spain’s government was more surprising. Spain has been as close to a third-world economy as European countries get. It is also heavily Catholic. (Church officials there have compared the legislation to the “unleashing of a virus.”) While Spain has come a long way since the days of the Inquisition, it is usually not the first nation that comes to mind when one is listing oases of tolerance. It thus seems reasonable to see this legislation as further evidence that Europe is moving—slowly but inexorably—in the direction of greater inclusion and human rights for all citizens.
In North America, Canada is currently the beacon of reason and enlightenment. Gays can marry in Canada. (They can also divorce; the first same-sex divorce has recently been filed there. As Bill Maher commented, “There goes the sanctity of divorce…”)
And the United States? The country that was founded on the belief that “all men are created equal”? The beacon of liberty to the world? The nation whose President attributed the 9-11 attack to those who “hate liberty”? How are we doing?
Well, let’s see. In the last national election, eleven states passed constitutional amendments prohibiting same-sex marriages. Some of those measures included bans on civil unions as well. A wide majority of states do not protect the civil rights of gay men and lesbians. ENDA, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, that would protect gay employees from termination solely because they are gay, is still going nowhere. Worse, gay teens continue to attempt suicide at alarming rates; if one averages twenty recent studies, the number hovers around thirty percent. Studies also confirm that an overwhelming proportion of “street kids”—homeless youth, many of whom have been thrown out by their parents—are gay.
I don’t want to indulge in too much “gloom and doom” here—much of the current legislation can certainly be seen as a backlash to the very real progress that has been made during the past decade. Popular culture—literature, television, movies, theater—continues to showcase gay characters in sympathetic, increasingly less-stereotypical roles. Teens are also coming out earlier—a sign that the social environment is seen as less threatening than in years past. Nevertheless, as other countries extend legal rights and social acceptance to their GLBT citizens, America is ambivalent at best, and actively hostile at worst.
Legally, there isn’t much that the gay community and its friends can do in the short term. Politically, of course, we should all work (feverishly!) to elect more progressive leaders, from President and Congress on down to the local school board. In the meantime, we should actively, and financially, support local institutions serving our communities—especially those that help gay teens cope with the mixed messages and precarious environment they face.
In Indianapolis, where I live, that institution is the Indiana Youth Group, an invaluable haven for GLBT youth. Few people know it, but IYG was the very first outreach organization of its kind in the United States. The effectiveness of its programs and services—HIV and suicide prevention, help for homeless youth–has been confirmed by rigorous academic studies. Unfortunately, in the current political climate, IYG has seen its most important funding sources dry up. The federal and foundation grants that have largely supported its programming in years past have become increasingly difficult to secure. IYG, like other organizations serving gay youth, must increasingly depend on private contributions and support. In the meantime, it is cutting back vital services as it changes direction in an effort to cope with the newly unresponsive funding environment.
While much of Europe and North America moves toward a kinder, gentler tomorrow, those of us in the United States who value inclusion, equality and mutual respect will have to work toward those goals at the grass roots. It is hard for many of us who grew up believing that our country was destined to lead the world in the direction of greater individual liberty and equality to admit that, these days, we aren’t even following. But if charity begins at home, so does social change.
Perhaps we can’t change the direction of the whole country—at least, not overnight—but we can lend our support to local organizations that make our communities more hospitable to children who are hurting for no reason other than the fact they were born loving differently.
Perhaps we can’t change the direction of the whole country—at least, not overnight—but we can lend our support to local organizations that make our communities more hospitable to children who are hurting for no reason other than the fact they were born loving differently.