Will teens, young adults embrace same-sex ‘marriage’?

If same-sex “marriage” is legalized nationwide in America, as some believe it will be, then the liberal views of teenagers and young adults are sure to play a large role.

This view is widespread among same-sex “marriage” supporters, who constantly cite polls showing what they claim are America’s changing attitudes. Teens, they say, are embracing homosexual “marriage.”

Deb Price, who works for The Detroit News, wrote a column last year about two high school students, Amanda Blair and Stephanie Haaser, who fought to change their respective schools’ attitudes on homosexuality. Price, a homosexual, believes same-sex “marriage” may be inevitable.

“The gay-friendly generation of Blair and Haaser will eventually take control of the most powerful jobs in the corporate, political and educational worlds,” she wrote.

Recently, during a protest against marriage laws in Illinois, a woman in Chicago told the local newspaper: “In 100 years, history books will look back on what's happening right now with judgment.”

Conservatives in recent years have been emboldened by polls showing that teenagers are more pro-life than their parents. But, if the polls are right, those same teens also are more likely to embrace same-sex “marriage.” Although polls differ, nearly all of them show that teens are at least 10 percentage points more likely to embrace changing the definition of marriage.

-- A December New York Times poll showed that Americans opposed same-sex “marriage” by a margin of 61-34 percent. But the results among 18-29-years-olds were just the opposite -- 56 percent supportive, 40 percent opposed.

-- A February Newsweek poll showed that 47 percent of Americans favored either same-sex “marriage” or civil unions (23 percent marriage, 24 percent civil unions). But 58 percent of 18-29-year-olds favored some form of recognition (39 percent marriage, 19 percent civil unions).

The million-dollar question is this: Will those same teenagers and young adults stick with those beliefs?

“[O]ne would have to question, ‘Well, when they grow up and get older will they be like today’s older people, or will they carry with them these attitudes throughout their lives?’” political analyst Michael Barone told Baptist Press. “I could make a plausible argument for either position. I don’t know which one is right.”

The generation gap has been influenced by everything from television to academia to parenting, leaders say.

“I attribute it to the unrelenting pro-homosexual propaganda that they’ve grown up with,” said Peter Sprigg, director of the Family Research Council's Center for Marriage and Family Studies. “I think that although the majority of Americans overall still oppose homosexual marriage and oppose homosexuality, there is an overwhelming pro-homosexual bias in some of our major cultural institutions, such as academia, such as the news media and particularly the entertainment media, which is very influential with young people.

“I think we have a whole generation that has been raised on pro-homosexual mythology.”

Sprigg says higher education has been a big culprit, with public schools playing a smaller role. He notes that polls show that those with a college education are more likely to support same-sex “marriage.”

“That’s not because they’re more intelligent,” he said. “It’s because they’ve been subjected to this kind of teaching.”

Young people also have been raised on MTV, which promotes homosexuality through such programs as the “Real World,” and network television, which increasingly has added homosexual characters to its programming in recent years.

“The gay character is always depicted as the wisest, the funniest, the best dressed, the most stylish, the most reasonable,” Sprigg said. “That’s a very subtle but effective form of propaganda, I believe.”

In addition to television and academia, the breakdown of the family also has played a large role in shaping the attitudes of teens and young adults, some say.

“Since the late 1960s there has been an increasingly smaller percentage of parents rearing children from a uniquely biblical perspective,” said Richard Ross, professor of student ministries at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and spokesperson for the abstinence-focused True Love Waits program for teenagers.

“Until this present generation of teenagers came on the scene, we were seeing -- reflected in each succeeding group of teenagers -- a smaller percentage embracing biblical values. Interestingly among teenagers in 2004, on some measures we are seeing teenagers more conservative than their parents.”

But same-sex “marriage” is an exception. Ross quoted a yet-to-be-published study by University of North Carolina researchers showing that teens have what he termed an “absolute resistance” to passing “judgment on any faith, philosophy or lifestyle.”

“We have trained the teenagers to believe that truth is relative and to believe we must be tolerant to all,” he said. “And that teaching has been uniformly successful.”

Sprigg called the current homosexual movement the “culmination” of the sexual revolution that began in the mid-20th century that taught “you should be able to have sex with anybody you want, whenever you want.”

Many people become more conservative when they marry and have children Sprigg said, adding that that could happen to the younger generation.

“[I]f they had a child in first grade and suddenly discovered their child was being taught about homosexuality in their first-grade public school classroom, I think it would give them pause, and they would say, ‘Wait a second, this is going too far,’” he said.

“I think instruction in tolerance has been so pervasive that teenagers will likely carry this perspective into adulthood unless there is very quick and very clear teaching in an opposite direction,” he said. “I am not hopeful, though, that this will take place. The vast majority of faithful parents in the church have abdicated Christian instruction to the church. Parents have come to believe that faithfully taxiing teenagers to and from the church fulfills their responsibility. This grieves me because parents have the power to shape lifetime values within their teenagers.”

One reason teens and young adults have different views, Sprigg said, is because they confuse what he believes are two very different issues. One concerns the victimization of homosexuals, the other the definition of marriage.

“They don’t want to see [homosexuals] harassed and [be] the victims of violence,” he said. “We agree with that.... [But] I think it is possible to separate the marriage issue from other concerns. Just because you’re upset that some homosexuals are the victims of hate crimes doesn’t mean that you have to grant same-sex marriage rights. It just doesn’t logically follow.”

pugmehon, you are very new to FR, so welcome aboard.

If you dislike divorce epidemics, you should support the call in the GOP platform in Texas, to end 'no fault divorce' when children are involved.

I find that the folks we are 'pro-gay marriage' tend to raise the divorce issue etc., but it's the divorced ones who have weak commitment to traditional marriage in the law as well. "hollywood" values and all that.

In other words, any time a 'pro gay marriage' person tries to fling the 'problem' of divorce in your face, as if one degradation of marriage requires another, just respond:

"Would you support changing the law to end no-fault divorces?"

The answer will tell you if these folks are serious or just hypocrites.

"I also plan on taking care of my dog for her entire life. Can she be included?"

Not in Multnomah county - a man already tried and he was denied a marriage license. I wonder if his constitutional rights were violated or if he'll file suit. After all, they both were of legal age, apparently gender doesn't matter, and they love each other...just where DO you draw the line....Remains to be seen....

Yes, marriage is an imposition on the rest of society, it is an institution in the society that confers privileges and responsibilities.

No man is an island unto himself.

The marriage of one man and one woman is correct and needed for the raising of the next generation. It is a holy institution, but the Government must get involved to record the legal rights of the children that issue forth from that marriage.

That is all. In the end marriage is and should be about the children.

Your radical proposals to undo 500 years of tradition are neither useful to society nor necessary. We are doing just fine with one man + one woman = one marriage.

It is true that recognizing homosexual couples as marriages will cost the Federal treasury billions of dollars.

But then, as you say, doesnt that just put the level of the debate on the terms that the homosexuals want? It's about giving them a 'fair share' and pretending that marriage is only about social security survivor benefits?

Nope, I think it would be better to remind people of the essential role marriage plays in encouraging the proper treatment and raising of children. The harms to children if family breaks down will make a few billion look like chump change.

I fear you are right. My 14 y/o daughter announced that she sees absolutely nothing wrong with gay marriage, and that if she gets married and it doesn't work getting a divorce is not big deal. Nice.

But then, at 14 I was pretty dim about the world myself.

"When you accept easy divorce, you already have surrendered the definition of marriage. Marriage is a life-long commitment."

Where do you get the nutty idea that 'easy divorce' is accepted by the cultural consevatives who oppose same-sex marriage?

Easy divorce was brought to us BY THE SAME CULTURAL ELITES WHO ARE NOW PUSHING GAY MARRIAGE. That groups last client were the radical feminists, who overturned family law to make it real easy for a woman to financially rape a man as she up and left him. 80% of divorces now are initiated by women, it is that easy and 'beneficial' for certain women.
(Warning to men: Dont marry that kind of woman!)

I am SURE the polls would show a HIGH CORRELATION between the 'hollywood values' of 'easy divorce'/ pro-single-parenthood / pro-gay-marriage, versus the 'heartland values' of 'marriage is for life/against-single-parenthood/anti-same-sex-marriage'.

Be careful. Soon a bisexual will want to marry both of his significant others, and all three will be able to consent.

I support that, too..... In fact, as far as children are one of the purposes of marriages and polyamorous relationships are capable of producing children, there may even be a better argument for that than for gay marriage.

I know one such relationship (though I don't know if the same-sex partners are bi or just share) that has been together for more than 15 years.

poll showed that Americans opposed same-sex “marriage” by a margin of 61-34 percent. But the results among 18-29-years-olds were just the opposite -- 56 percent supportive, 40 percent opposed

And in 20 years, these results will not have changed, because those teens will have grown up, gotten married, had families, a house, and other assets and property to protect, and therefor will become more conservative.

Where do you get the nutty idea that 'easy divorce' is accepted by the cultural consevatives who oppose same-sex marriage?

Lack of complaining on their part. There are a lot of rallies and letters against same-sex marriage. I see a lot of the same on reversing the laws with regard to abortion.

I see very little on reversing no-fault divorce. It may be a question of priorities, but there it is.

"The legal document called "marriage" is a financial contract. "

Really? Ever heard of children?

If you want to assert that it's just a financial document, then let's agree that same-sex couples are not allowed to have children.

Children are about much more than finances.

"I would support a law that says you can only get married ONCE. You failed ... get the hell out of here.
How is that for conservative minus the compassion?"

So your husband dies. You cant marry again?
That is not conservative at all, that is different from marriage laws since the days of the ancients, and quite moronic.

surely you would agree that if a husband or wife is abusive, one would have the right to divorce and re-marry.
Or are you a troll trying to have a moronic view on marriage law to see who would bite?

Once again --- would you favor eliminating 'no fault divorce'?

"I am a tolerant traditionalist"

That's a good phrase.

There's a massive amount of difference between tolerance and acceptance. Most people today who claim to be pushing for tolerance are really pushing for acceptance.

"Where do you get the nutty idea that 'easy divorce' is accepted by the cultural consevatives who oppose same-sex marriage? " Lack of complaining on their part.

Grrrrr!!! That is utter BS!! They ARE complaining, but the cultural elites wont give them the time of day!!

I dont know which to be more angry at: You for being so clueless, the anti-feminist folks for being so hapless and ineffective, or the feminazis who have managed to supress dissent so effectively on this issue.

Be that as it may, go to Eagle Forum, go look at the GOP Texas platform on divorce. The opposition, like the truth, is out there!

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