Homophobia Incites Marriage Protection Week

Author: Jillian Weiser

On the anniversary of Matthew Shepherd's death, on the heels of Coming Out Week and in the midst of lobbying for a Constitutional amendment that would limit marriage to heterosexual couples, President Bush has created a week that condemns the possibility of same-sex marriage. Citizens across the country have expressed their outrage at Bush's Marriage Protection Week, and with good reason.

National Marriage Protection Week occurred October 12 to 18, and was designed by Bush and the Alliance for Marriage as "as a week dedicated to preserving the sacred institution of marriage," which they see as "under attack."

The official Web site, marriageprotectionweek.com, blatantly urges Americans to show their support and not to "bow down to the desires of the...homosexuals."

In his proclamation, President Bush describes marriage as "a sacred institution... a union between a man and a woman."

He goes on to applaud traditional, heterosexual two-parent families at the expense of any possibility for diversity, using the justification of "the well-being of children."

I support Bush's effort to strengthen families and improve the environments in which children are raised. However, he is speaking from homophobia and bigotry rather than good sense.

While Bush's argument that "children raised in households headed by married parents fare better than children who grow up in other family structures" can be backed up by statistics, it fails to take into account a number of other factors.

First of all, the correlation between two-parent households and children "faring better" in life does exist, but it does NOT imply causation.

Other factors in the family's environment also play a part, such as income, education, etc. There is even evidence that children of homosexual couples fare just as well as children of heterosexual couples, and indeed the sex/gender of the parents has little to do with a family's strength, health and supportiveness.

Bush's intentions are sadly misguided by hatred, discrimination and fear. How can he believe that such condemnation of homosexuality, even calling homosexual relationships "harmful," can "work to create a compassionate, welcoming society, where all people are treated with dignity and respect"?

Clearly, Bush's efforts to "promote the well-being of children" and "strength[en] our society" are effects of underlying homophobia and bigotry.