11.26.08
Marriage equality a threat to men's self-image?
Salon has an interesting interview with Richard Rodriguez, who says — as I do — that the fight over “protecting traditional marriage” is really about protecting traditional gender roles. However, he spotted something that I missed: the role of male insecurity.
And the majority of American women are now living alone. We are raising children in America without fathers. I think of Michael Phelps at the Olympics with his mother in the stands. His father was completely absent. He was negligible; no one refers to him, no one noticed his absence.
The possibility that a whole new generation of American males is being raised by women without men is very challenging for the churches. I think they want to reassert some sort of male authority over the order of things. I think the pro-Proposition 8 movement was really galvanized by an insecurity that churches are feeling now with the rise of women.
I have been struck in the past at how when The Loyal Opposition talks about gay and lesbian people adopting, they usually emphasize, “a child needs a mother and a father”. It’s usually men I see saying this; Rodriguez’ interview makes me think that what they are really saying is, “Men are important! We are! We are! We are!”, trying to convince both us and themselves that it is true.
(By the way, children do just fine with same-gender parents.)
