The Meaning of Marriage

Even many people who favor gay marriage, including some gays, are shocked by it. Or they were until recently. Half a dozen years ago, the notion that two men or two women could marry had never occurred to most citizens -- even to most liberals. Today it is an article of the liberal faith, up there with abortion rights. And half a dozen years from now, gay marriage may well be established and commonplace beyond the need for editorial comment.

So President Bush's decision to make gay marriage a political issue, and to endorse a constitutional amendment banning it, might be a miscalculation. Politicians contemplating a strong stand on any issue must balance the benefit of pleasing their core supporters against the cost of alienating swing voters (or, on other issues, vice versa). But how many voters are actually pleased at the thought of a big fuss over gay marriage? Some folks who were horrified when they first heard of the idea have decided, Why should I care? If it makes two other people happy, what's it to me? Some have noted that conservatives are supposed to believe that marriage is good for society, and most of the reasons for that belief apply to gay marriage as well. Among those who remain horrified, many find the subject so distasteful that they wish it would go away. They do not want it shoved in their faces.

Politics aside, a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage is a terrible idea. It is a terrible idea because banning gay marriage is a terrible idea. Opponents of this amendment try to make the case against it without getting to this central question. They say an amendment is unnecessary or the subject is beneath the dignity of the Constitution. But this won't do. For those who oppose gay marriage, a constitutional amendment is their only choice. One state, Massachusetts, has legalized gay marriage, by order of the state supreme court. It is not clear whether the U.S. Constitution requires other states to give "full faith and credit" to Massachusetts marriages. But there is no guarantee that it doesn't. A law cannot override the Constitution. Only a constitutional amendment can do that.