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Just as pro-life advocates are not “antichoice”, promoters of “traditional” marriage should “oppose same-sex marriage” at their peril. That is not to say that people should not oppose redefining marriage to accommodate same-sex couples. At first, that might seem to be a distinction without a difference, but on a closer look, using the term “same-sex marriage” has several unintended consequences and stark differences will become apparent.
Political strategists seek terms to advance their objectives that correspond with voter attitudes of fairness and justice. The language may be couched in terms like freedom, equality, or rights—real or fabricated.
NARAL’s founder, Bernard Nathanson, created terms such as “pro-choice,” “reproductive rights,” “freedom of choice,” and “a woman’s right to choose” that have become enduring monikers of the feminist movement. This terminology is loaded with emotion designed to appeal to the public at some level. Without much scrutiny, each term sounds reasonable. Who could possibly be against choice, the right to reproduce, or freedom to make choices? Who could be for abridging women’s rights?
When it came to creating clever rhetoric, the advocates for redefining marriage were no exception. They came up with terms like “marriage equality,” “freedom to marry,” and “fundamental right to marry.” But the real equivalent to the “prochoice” slogan for marriage is the term “same-sex marriage.”
“Same-sex Marriage” Trap
Using the term “same-sex marriage” automatically puts marriage advocates on the defense and undermines support for marriage for four reasons: It makes the issue about homosexuality rather than about the good of marriage; it positions the conversation in opposition to a civil right movement; it creates a fiction about how laws will be changed to accommodate same-sex couples; and, imbedded in the phrase is a false notion of what marriage actually is.
Part 2 -- Pastoral vs. Political
Part 3 -- Against “Same-sex Marriage” = Anti-Gay
Part 4 -- “Same-Sex Marriage” A Slogan Not a Legislative Proposal
Part 5 -- False Assumption About Marriage Imbedded
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