Just a few blocks away from the UC Berkeley campus, I was drawn into a heated argument about same-sex marriage with a classmate. I calmly argued that same sex marriage is logically incoherent, but was met with emotional appeals instead of reasoned rebuttals. My classmate left the room angry, and I was surprised by how ill-equipped the Left seemed to defend same-sex marriage, one of its prized cultural institutions.
At the time, I knew the Left took pride in its strong emotional investment in issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. However, I didn’t know that emotional investment was a cover for unquestioned dogma. The Left treats social issues like same-sex marriage as untouchable dogma; any challenge to them is met with emotional frenzy rather than rational debate. The reality is that same-sex marriage cannot be defended with reason. By its very nature, marriage is a union between a man and a woman, ordered toward procreation and child-rearing.
The term “same-sex marriage” is a misnomer. Progressive advocates argue that same-sex marriage expands the institution to more people. In truth, the progressive definition of marriage amounts to no definition at all. The progressive definition — “two people in love” — may seem sufficient, but it severs marriage from two key components: procreation and sexual complementarity. First, same-sex marriage is indistinguishable from a non-marital same-sex relationship, rendering the term marriage functionally meaningless in that context. For heterosexual couples, marriage has traditionally meant a relationship ordered toward procreation and raising children, which differentiates it from a non-marital straight relationship. Clearly, a same-sex marriage cannot biologically be oriented toward procreation, lacking a fundamental nature to what marriage is and has always been throughout history.
Furthermore, defining marriage merely as “two people in love” opens the door to absurdities such as incestuous or polyamorous unions. When marriage is expanded to include everyone, it ultimately loses its meaning. The issue is that the Left fundamentally misunderstands marriage. They assume it’s simply a legal institution for two (or more) people in love, but the role of marriage is far deeper than that. Two people in love don’t need any institution to bind them, but historically and in the contemporary world, marriage exists as an overarching institution that binds the couple through mutual obligation and stability.
A common response to the incoherence of same-sex marriage is “Who cares? It doesn’t affect you.” Marriage remains one of our most vital institutions, as it creates strong families — the foundation of a stable society. Once the definition of marriage is perverted, that essential building block starts to decay. In 2015, the Supreme Court incorrectly decided that same-sex marriage was a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. Since then, society has slid down a slippery slope of moral decay. Whether it be men pretending to be women or the new wave of acceptance for polyamorous and open relationships; the forced acceptance of same-sex marriage has pushed the envelope to complete moral anarchy. While some may accuse this line of reasoning as being a “slippery slope fallacy,” the past ten years have been evidence of how letting libertinism govern our societal conceptions of reality has been a complete failure. Same-sex marriage evolved into destroying gender, which then evolved into transitioning kids using puberty blockers. This cultural decline stems from the legalization and societal enforcement of same-sex marriage.
In the end, the Left will don their rainbow attire and parade through streets of major American cities, celebrating logically incoherent and culturally destructive vices like same-sex marriage. But the American Right, nowadays considered the normal half of America, needs to stand against the Left. Since the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015, Republican support rose precipitously until 2022, when 56% of Republicans believed same-sex marriage was morally acceptable. Since then, that number has dropped to 38%. The American Right has come to see that the legalization and normalization of same-sex marriage has weakened the institution of marriage while unleashing the worst of the Alphabet Agenda. This moral decay can only be halted by recognizing the issue. Some conservatives hesitate to stand firm on traditional marriage, choosing instead to concede the issue. America can’t afford to concede such an important institution; it’s the duty of the American Right to commit to our traditional institutions. The Republican Party of Texas set an example by codifying its support of traditional marriage in the state party platform. Furthermore, Conservatives should support the nominations of Originalist judges to reverse the 2015 same-sex marriage decision, letting states reaffirm traditional marriage by statute.
Although traditional marriage is no longer a central political issue, skepticism toward the Left’s cultural agenda is resurging. As we say goodbye to this year’s pride month, it’s time to reignite public debate and affirm a core truth: marriage means one man and one woman.
