Commentary: May 2004 Archives

I've already gone on at some length about my thoughts on gay marriage, but this week, as thousands of gay men and women in Massachusetts are finally getting the chance to wed, there's one more thought I wanted to add. This debate--more than any other major political debate I can think of--is being argued in metaphorical terms. Is opposition to gay marriage as bigoted as opposition to interracial marriage? Or is it based on simple biological reality, like the opposition to incest?

Personally, I have no doubt that, in a few decades, anti-gay-marriage laws will seem as inexplicable as anti-miscegenation laws do now. But I don't want to have to wait a few decades to prove it. I've therefore developed a short quiz. I've taken some quotes from people who believe blacks shouldn't marry whites, and some quotes from people who believe gays shouldn't marry each other. I then stripped the quotes of any words like "race" or "gender" that would give the game away.

Can you tell which anti-marriage argument is which?

When you're ready to start, click here to take the quiz.