Whenever political conservatives gather these days, stentorian pronouncements about gay marriage are soon to follow. This is particularly true at the meetings of conservative political parties, which tend to be dominated by the most committed activists. Thus one should not be surprised to hear a conservative politician throwing red meat like this to the base at a party convention:
Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us; that society is stronger when we make vows to each other and support each other. So I don’t support gay marriage despite being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I’m a Conservative.
Oh sorry, I seem to have mixed up my U.K. and U.S. newspapers this morning. Shouldn’t blog before I down that second cup of coffee. Insert Emily Litella quote here.
That was minor Conservative party figure David Cameron, by the way.
I have long wondered why American conservatives prefer unmarried buttsex to married buttsex. It’s not as if withholding the benefits of marriage will magically turn gays straight (although it may motivate gay men in sham marriages to women to get their jollies on the downlow).
John, your error is to seek a rational explanation for bigotry.
I just started reading Charles Stross’s Rule 34, an SF thriller set in the devolved Scotland of 2035, and when the narrator mentioned one lesbian character’s civil partnership, I couldn’t help thinking “this is anachronistic: twenty years from now, surely Scotland will have full-blown gay marriage”.
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“Homophobia isn’t there to keep the gays in line; it’s there to keep you in line.” -paraphrased from Joanna Russ.
Gay-bashing is one of the most useful methods for social shaming, because unlike racism or sexism, anyone can be accused of being queer, or secretly queer, or tending towards queer. The more that homosexuality is mainstreamed and destigmatized, the less effective homophobia is as a tool of social control.
Cameron could make such a statement with no particular political cost because the UK has effectively been de-Christianized. I mean, people go through the motions, yawning. But the most notable characteristic of the Anglican communion these days is the forthcoming eclipse of the tolerant Rowan Williams by “young turks” of a femiphobe/homophobe persuasion. They’re about to hijack an empty bus, in my opinion.