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____________
____________
____________
____________
Nos.14-556,14-562,14-571,14-574
InThe
SupremeCourtoftheUnitedStates
JAMESOBERGEFELL,ETAL., Petitioners,
v.
RICHARDHODGES,ETAL.,Respondents.
OnWritsofCertioraritotheUnitedStatesCourtof
AppealsfortheSixthCircuit
AmicusCuriaeBriefofLeadersofthe2012
RepublicanNationalConventionCommitteeon
thePlatformandOthersSupportingRespon
dents
JamesBopp,Jr.
Counsel of Record
AnitaY.Milanovich
THEBOPPL AWFIRM,PC
THEN ATIONALBUILDING
1South6thStreet
TerreHaute,IN47807-3510
812/232-2434(telephone)
812/235-3685(facsimile)
jboppjr@aol.com(email)
April2,2015 (add’lcounseloninsidecover)
mailto:jboppjr@aol.commailto:jboppjr@aol.com
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RobertJCrookshankNewValleyForgePart
ners,LLC
P.O.Box470911
Tulsa,OK73071
MichaelP.LaffeyMessinaLawFirmP.C.
961HolmdelRoadHolmdelNJ07733
732/332-9300(telephone)
732/332-9301(fascimile)
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QuestionPresented
Whether the State has a sufficiently important
interestinpromotingtraditionalmarriagebetweenone
man and one woman when traditional marriage
supportstraditionalfamilies,whicharethefoundation
ofafreesociety.
(i)
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TableofContentsTableofAuthorities..................................................iv
StatementofInterest. ................................................1
SummaryofArgument..............................................3
Argument....................................................................6
I. TheRepublicanPartySupportsTraditional
MarriageBecausetheTraditionalFamilyIs
theFoundationofaFreeSociety..................9
A. The Traditional Family Guards AgainstPovertyandtheNeedFortheGrowthofthe
WelfareState...........................................15
B. The Traditional Family Protects Against
TyrannyAndGovernmentExcess..........20
II. TraditionalMarriageEnsuresAFreeSociety
ByProtectingtheTraditionalFamily........21
A. TraditionalFamilyIsStable,Independent,
Self-SupportingandSelf-Sufficient,Repli
catingItselfIndefinitely.........................21
B. Traditional Marriage Offers Unique FeaturesThatReinforceTheStrengthofTradi
tionalFamily...........................................22
C. Traditional Marriage Benefits Husbands,
Wives and Mothers, Children, and
Society......................................................24
1. MothersBenefit from TraditionalMar
riage.....................................................25
2. Men Benefit FromTraditional
Marriage..............................................25
(ii)
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3. ChildrenBenefitFromTraditionalMarriage.....................................................27
4. SocietyBenefitsFromTraditionalMar
riage.....................................................30
III. The Traditional Family Is Undermined By
LegalRecognitionofSame-SexMarriage.. 31
A. The History of the Same-SexMarriage
Movement.. ..............................................31
B. The Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage
RequiresaRedefinitionofMarriage......34
C. Same-SexMarriageDoesNotProvide theSameBenefitsasTraditional
Marriage..................................................36
D. The Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage
DoesNotPromoteMarriage...................40
Conclusion................................................................41
(iii)
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TableofAuthoritiesCases
Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, 798
N.E.2d941(Mass.2003)....................................33
Lofton v. Secretary of the Department of Children and
Family Services XI , 358 F.3d 804 (11th Cir.
2004)...................................................................30
Loving v. Virginia, 388U.S.1(1967)..............22n.10
Reno v. Flores, 507U.S.292(1993)...........................7
Washington v. Glucksberg ,521U.S.702(1997)......7
Constitution, Statutes, Regulations & Rules
U.S.Const.amendXIV.................................... passim
Other Authorities
A Conversation with Ruth Bader Ginsburg , 56 The
Record of the Association of the Bar of the City of
New York 8(Winter2001).................................24
ABC News Primetime Live Poll: The American SexS u r v e y ( 2 0 0 4 ) , a v a i l a b l e a t
http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/959a1Ame
ricanSexSurvey.pdf........................................... 23
Anders Agell, Family Forms and Legal Policies, A
Comparative View from a Swedish Observer,
Stockholm Institute for Scandinavian Law
(1998)..........................................................36n.13
(iv)
http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/959a1Amehttp://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/959a1Ame
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AndreaMrozek,The Status of Men: Boys Are Lagging.How Does The Decline of Marriage Play A Role?,
InstituteofMarriageandFamilyCanada,avail
able at http://www.imfcanada.org/sites/default/
files/StatusOfMen_Nov2010_Final_web.
pdf...............................................................26n.11
Aristotle,The Politics of Aristotle(1997).................30
ArthurGoldberg,Light In The Closet(2008)..38n.16
Austin Ruse, Legendary Gay Designers Oppose Gay
Marriage, Gay Parenting, Surrogacy, Breitbart( M a r . 1 4 , 2 0 1 5 ) , a v a i l a b l e a t
http:/ /www.breitbart.com/big-government/
2015/03/14/legendary-gay-designers-oppose-gay
marriage-gay-parenting-surrogacy/..................39
Beyond Same-Sex Marriage: A New Strategic Vision for
All Our Families and Relationships,
beyondmarriage.org, at http://www.beyond
marriage.org/......................................................36
BryceChristensen,Time for A New ‘Moynihan Report’?Confronting the National Family Crisis, The
Family inAmerica,Vol. 18, No. 10 (Oct.2004),
available at http://profam.org/pub/fia/fia_1810.
html........................................................17,18,29
ChristopherCarrington,No Place Like Home: Relation
ships and Family Life among Lesbians and Gay
Men (1999)..........................................................33
(v)
http://www.imfcanada.org/sites/defaulthttp://www.breitbart.com/big-governmenthttp:///reader/full/beyondmarriage.orghttp://www.beyond/http:///reader/full/marriage.orghttp://profam.org/pub/fia/fia_1810http://www.imfcanada.org/sites/defaulthttp://www.breitbart.com/big-governmenthttp:///reader/full/beyondmarriage.orghttp://www.beyond/http:///reader/full/marriage.orghttp://profam.org/pub/fia/fia_1810
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ChristopherR.Berry&JacobE.Gersen, Representation Without Taxation: The Fiscal Consequences of
Electoral Institutions,AmericanLaw&Economics
AssociationAnnualMeetings(2007),available at
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/344.pdf .......14
David P. McWhirter, Andrew Mattison, The Male
Couple: How Relationships Develop 150
(1984)..................................................................38
First comes love, then comes marriage . . . tying the knot
before first baby is a key ingredient for marriage
success, Marriage Foundation (Mar. 9 2015),
http://www.marriagefoundation.org.uk/Web/New
s/News.aspx?news=179&RedirectUrl=%2FWeb%
2FContent%2FDefault.aspx%3FContent%
3D440.................................................................25
Frances Kelly, Shifty Words: What does “marriage
equality” actually mean?, Mercatornet (Feb. 5,
2012), at http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/
view/shifty_words...................................................24
FrankMain,The Most Dangerous Block In Chicago,
ChicagoSunTimes(Oct.31,2014)....................19
GeorgeA.Akerlof,Explorations in Pragmatic Econom
ics: Select Papers of George A. Akerlof (2005)...27
GeorgeGilder,Men and Marriage(1986)...............26
GunnarAndersson, Divorce-Risk Patterns in Same-Sex
“Marriage” in Norway and Sweden (Nov. 2004),
available at http://www.uni-koeln.de/wiso-fak/fisoz/
conference/papers/p_andersson.pdf...................37
(vi)
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/344.pdfhttp://www.marriagefoundation.org.uk/Web/Newhttp://www.mercatornet.com/articleshttp://www.uni-koeln.de/wiso-fak/fisozhttp://www.uni-koeln.de/wiso-fak/fisozhttp://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/344.pdfhttp://www.marriagefoundation.org.uk/Web/Newhttp://www.mercatornet.com/articleshttp://www.uni-koeln.de/wiso-fak/fisoz
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Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism(1951)..................................................................21
HarryBenson,Get married BEFORE you have chil
dren, MarriageFoundation(March2015),available
at http://www.marriagefoundation.org.uk/
Shared/Uploads/Products/15035_MF%20paper%20
%20Get%20married%20before%20children.
pdf.......................................................................21
HeatherBarwick, Dear Gay Community: Your Kids Are
Hurting , The Federalist (Mar. 17, 2015),
http://thefederalist.com/2015/03/17/dear-gay
community-your-kids-are-hurting/....................29
How Do Fathers Fit In?,Civitas:TheInstituteforthe
Study of Civil Society, http://www.civitas.
org.uk/hwu/fathers.php...............................28,29
JenniferMorse,Love and Economics(2008).....30,34
JulieShapiro,Reflections on Complicity,8N.Y.CityL.
Rev.657(2005)............................................32,33
KayS.Hymowitz,The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies,
City Journal (Summer 2005), available at
http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_3_black _
family.html....................................................16-17
KristinAndersonMoore,SusanM.Jekielek,andCarol
Emig,Marriage from a Child’s Perspective: How
Does Family Structure Affect Children, and What
Can We Do About It?, ChildTrendsChild Research
Brief (June2002)................................................28
(vii)
http://www.marriagefoundation.org.uk/http://thefederalist.com/2015/03/17/dear-gayhttp://www.civitas/http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_3_blackhttp://www.marriagefoundation.org.uk/http://thefederalist.com/2015/03/17/dear-gayhttp://www.civitas/http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_3_black
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LeslieBennetts,First Lady in Waiting ,VanityFair( D e c . 2 0 0 7 ) , a v a i l a b l e a t
h t t p : / / w w w . v a n i t y f a i r . c o m / n e w s / 2 0 0 7/
12/michelle_obama200712................................18
MarkRegnerus, Yes, Marriage Will Change–and Here’s
How,The WitherspoonInstitute (June7,2013),
available at http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/
2013/06/10325/...................................................38
MariaXiridou,The Contribution of Steady and Casual
Partnerships to the Incidence of Aids, 7Aids1029
(2003)..................................................................37
Marriage: America’s Number 1 Weapon Against Child
Pover ty , T he H e ri ta ge Fo unda ti o n,
http://www.heritage.org/childpoverty/united-states
(lastvisitedMarch31,2015).......................15,25
MichaelFumento, Is The Great Society to Blame? If
Not, Why Have Problems Worsened Since ‘60s?,
Investor’sBus.Daily(June19,1992),available at
http://fumento.com/economy/greatsociety.html.16
MichaelW.Weiderman,Extramarital Sex: Prevalence
and Correlates In A National Survey, 32TheJ.of
SexResearch167(1997)....................................23
Nadia Haris, Role of Fathers in Child Rearing ,
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/role-fathers
child-rearing-3454.html.....................................29
NanD.Hunter,Sex Wars: Sexual Dissent and Political
Culture (2006)....................................................34
(viii)
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007http:///reader/full/http://www.thepublicdiscourse.comhttp://www.heritage.org/childpoverty/united-stateshttp://fumento.com/economy/greatsociety.htmlhttp://everydaylife.globalpost.com/role-fathershttp://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007http:///reader/full/http://www.thepublicdiscourse.comhttp://www.heritage.org/childpoverty/united-stateshttp://fumento.com/economy/greatsociety.htmlhttp://everydaylife.globalpost.com/role-fathers
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NancyD.Polikoff,We Will Get What We Ask For: WhyLegalizing Gay And Lesbian Marriage Will Not
“Dismantle The Legal Structure Of Gender In Every
Marriage,” 79Va.L.Rev.1535(1993).........32-33
NannetteGartrell,HenryBos,andNaomiGoldberg,
Adolescents of the U.S. National Longitudinal
Lesbian Family Study: Sexual Orientation, Sex
ual Behavior, and Sexual Risk Exposure, 40Ar
chivesofSex.Behav.1199(2011)......................37
NationalCenterforHealthStatistics,Centersfor
DiseaseControl,Forty –Three Percent of First
Marriages Break up Within 15 years, at
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/01news/first
marr.html...................................................37n.14
NicolaBarker,Not the Marrying Kind: A Feminist
Critique of Same-Sex Marriage(2012)..............34
PatriciaMoranandAllanBarclay,Effects of Fathers’
Absence in Delinquent Boys: Dependency and
Hypermasculinity,62PsychologicalReports115
(1988).................................................................29
PatrickMoynihan,The Negro Family: The Case For
National Action,UnitedStatesDepartmentof
Labor(1965),available at http://www.dol.gov/
dol/aboutdol/history/webid-moynihan.html......16
PeterFrank,Marriage and the Family: The Social
and Economic Costs(2012),http://www.jesse
helmscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/
06/Marriage-and-the-Family.pdf.......7,24,30,34
(ix)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/01news/firsthttp:///reader/full/http://www.dol.govhttp://www.jesse/http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/01news/firsthttp:///reader/full/http://www.dol.govhttp://www.jesse/
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RedDawn,Lesbian Couple+Husband+Two babies=Completely Normal? Alrighty Then, ChicksOn
TheRight(Mar.13,2015),athttp://chicksonthe
right.com/blog/item/27790-lesbian-couple-hus
bandtwo-babies-completely-normal-family
alrighty-then......................................................35
RepublicanNationalCommittee,Resolution for Mar
riage and Children (April12,2013),available at
https://cdn.gop.com/docs/Resolution_for_Marriage
_and_Children_2013.pdf...................................13
RepublicanNationalCommittee,Resolution Support
ing Core Values of the 2012 Republican Platform
(April12,2013),available athttp://cdn.gop.com/
docs/Resolution_Supporting_Core_Values_of_the
_2012_Republican_Platform.pdf..................12-13
RepublicanNationalCommittee,RNC Resolution
Defending Traditional Marriage (Aug.22,2012)
available at http://cdn.gop.com/docs/2012 _
Summer-Meeting_Resolutions.pdf...................12
RobertRectorandRachelSheffield,The War on Pov
erty After 50 Years,TheHeritageFoundation
(Sept.152014),available at http://www.heritage.
org/research/reports/2014/09/the-war-on
poverty-after-50-years.......................................20
RulesoftheRepublicanParty,available at http://
www.gop.com/rules-and-resolutions/..........11n.5
(x)
http://chicksonthe/https://cdn.gop.com/docs/Resolution_for_Marriagehttp:///reader/full/http://cdn.gop.comhttp://cdn.gop.com/docs/2012http://www.heritage/http://www.gop.com/rules-and-resolutionshttp://chicksonthe/https://cdn.gop.com/docs/Resolution_for_Marriagehttp:///reader/full/http://cdn.gop.comhttp://cdn.gop.com/docs/2012http://www.heritage/http://www.gop.com/rules-and-resolutions
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RyanT.Anderson,Marriage Matters: Consequencesof Redefining Marriage,TheHeritageFounda
tion(March18,2013),available at http://www.
heritage.org/research/reports/2013/03/why
marriage-matters-consequences-of-redefining
marriage............................................27-28,31,35
RyanT.Anderson,Marriage: What It Is,Why It Mat
ters, and the Consequences of Redefining It(Mar.
11,2013),available athttp://www.heritage.org/
research/reports/2013/03/marriage-what-it-is
why-it-matters-and-the-consequences-of-redefining-it...............................................................31,35
RyanT.Anderson, Monogamy, Exclusivity, and Per
manence?,TheHeritageFoundation(Dec.13,
2012),available at http://www.heritage.org/
research/commentary/2012/12/monogamy
exclusivity-and-permanence..............................23
SherifGirgis,RyanT.Anderson,RobertP.George,
What is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense
(2012)..................................................................22
StephanieCoontz, Marriage, A History: From Obedi
ence to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Mar
riage(2005)........................................................25
StephenEliotSmith, Barbarians within the Gates:
Congressional Debates on Mormon Polygamy,
1850-1879 ,51J.Church&State587(Autumn
2009).............................................................10n.4
SuzanneA.Kim,Skeptical Marriage Equality,34
Harv.J.L.Gender37(2011)................31n.12,32
(xi)
http://www/http:///reader/full/http://www.heritage.orghttp:///reader/full/http://www.heritage.orghttp://www/http:///reader/full/http://www.heritage.orghttp:///reader/full/http://www.heritage.org
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TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party Platform of 1856 (June18,1856),available at
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
=29619.............................................................9-10
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
Platform of 1868 (May20,1868),available at
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
=29622..........................................................10,15
AmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party Plat
form of 1900 (June19,1900),available at
http://www.presidency.uscb.edu/ws/?pid
=29630................................................................15
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
Platform of 1920 (June8,1920),available at
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
=29635................................................................10
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
Platform of 1944 (June26,1944),available at
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
=25835................................................................10
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
Platform of 1956 (Aug.20,1956),available at
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
=25838................................................................10
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
Platform of 1960 (July25,1960),available at
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
=25839................................................................10
(xii)
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.uscb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.uscb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
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TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party Platform of 1964 (July13,1964),available at
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
=25840................................................................10
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
Platform of 1968 (Aug.5,1968),available at
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
=25841..........................................................10,15
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
Platform of 1972 (Aug.21,1972),available at
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
=25842................................................................10
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
Platform of 1976 (Aug.18,1976),available at
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
=25843..................................................................7
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
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=25844................................................................10
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
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http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid
=25845..................................................................8
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
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=25846................................................................10
(xiii)
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TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party Platform of 1992 (Aug.17,1992),available at
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=25847........................................................8,9,10
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=25848..........................................................10,11
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=101961..........................................................8,11
TomW.Smith, American Sexual Behavior: Trends,
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ior (2006)available athttp://www.norc.org/
PDFs/Publications/AmericanSexualBehavior
2006.pdf..............................................................23
(xiv)
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp:///reader/full/http://www.norc.orghttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pidhttp:///reader/full/http://www.norc.org
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Will fewer straight people marry if gay people can?,FullFact.Org(Dec.12,2012),https://fullfact.org/
factchecks/same_sex_marriage_rate_heterosexua
l_straight_gay-28656....................................39-40
WilliamPollock,Real Boys: Rescuing our Sons from
the Myths of Boyhood(1998)..............................31
WilliamScottandAmyDeLaHunt,The Important
Role of Fathers in the Lives of Young Children,
ParentasTeachers(lastupdatedNov.16,2011),
available at http://www.parentsasteachers.
org/images/stories/documents/Fatherhood_Resou
rces/ImportantRoleofFathers.pdf......................28
Young, Black, and Male in America: An Endangered
Species(1988).....................................................29
(xv)
http:///reader/full/FullFact.Orghttp:///reader/full/https://fullfact.orghttp://www.parentsasteachers/http:///reader/full/FullFact.Orghttp:///reader/full/https://fullfact.orghttp://www.parentsasteachers/
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1
StatementofInterest1
AmiciCuriaearemembersoftheleadershipofthe
2012RepublicanNationalConventionCommitteeon
the Platform: Co-Chairman of the Committee Con
gresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Co-
ChairmenoftheSubcommitteeswithjurisdictionover
marriageandfamilyJamesBopp,Jr.(Subcommittee
on We the People: A Restoration of Constitutional
Government)andCarolynMcLarty(Subcommitteeon
Renewing American Values to Build Healthy Families,Great Schools and Safe Neighborhoods).
AmicusCongresswomanMarshaBlackburnserved
as Co-Chairman of the 2012 Republican National
Convention Committee on the Platform. Congress
womanBlackmanisasmall-businesswoman,author,
wife,mother,grandmotherandformerTennesseeState
SenatorfromWilliamsonCounty,Tennessee. Shehas
servedastheCongresswomanfromthe7thCongressio
nalDistrictofTennesseesince2002.
AmicusJamesBopp,Jr.servedasCo-ChairmanoftheSubcommitteeonWe the People: A Restoration of
Constitutional Government of the 2012 Republican
NationalConventionCommitteeonthePlatform.Mr.
BoppisapracticingattorneywithTheBoppLawFirm
1 NocounselforapartyauthoredthisBriefinwholeorin
part,andnocounselorpartymadeamonetarycontribution
intended to fund the preparation or submission of this
Brief.Nopersonotherthanamicicuriae,itsmembers,or
itscounsel madea monetary contributionto this Brief’spreparationorsubmission.Theparties’counselofrecord
receivedtimely notice of Amici’s intent to file thisbrief
pursuanttoRule37(a)andhaveconsentedtoitsfiling.
8/9/2019 Leaders of the 2012 Republican Natl Convention Committee Amicus Brief
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2
in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was a member of the
RepublicanNationalCommitteefrom2006to2012and
was electedasRNC Vice-Chairman, 2008-2012.He
wasChairmanoftheConservativeSteeringCommittee
from2008to2011andwasamemberoftheRepubli
canNationalConventionCommitteeonthePlatform
in2000,2004,2008and2012.
AmicusCarolynMcLarty,DVMservedasCo-Chair
man of the Subcommittee on Renewing American
Values to Build Healthy Families, Great Schools andSafe Neighborhoods ofthe2012RepublicanNational
ConventionCommitteeonthePlatform.Dr.McLarty
isaretiredveterinarianfromWoodward,Oklahoma.
ShehasbeenamemberoftheRepublicanNational
Committeesince2008.Shehasservedasanelected
memberofRNCStandingCommitteeonResolutions
since2009andasitsChairmansince2012.Shehas
beenChairmanoftheConservativeSteeringCommit
teesince2011.ShewasamemberoftheRepublican
NationalConvention CommitteeonthePlatform in
2012.
Amicus Conservative Steering Committee is an
independentorganizationofcurrentmembersofthe
RepublicanNationalCommittee.Itmeetsregularlyin
conjunctionwiththemeetingsoftheRNCtodiscuss
issuesofimportancetotheRepublicanPartyandits
members TheSteeringCommitteeiscurrentlymade
upofamajorityofthemembersoftheRNCandthey
votedtoapprovesubmissionofthisAmiciCuriaeBrief
totheCourt.
Amici Curiae respectfully submit this Brief insupportofthestates’importantinterestinprotecting
andpromotingtraditionalmarriageandfamilyasthe
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3
foundationofafreesociety.
SummaryoftheArgument
TheRepublicanPartyhassoughttoprotectand
promotetraditionalmarriageandfamilyasthefoun
dationofafreesociety,sincethesuccessoftraditional
familiesminimizestheneedforgovernmentprograms
andinterventionandbecausetraditionalfamiliesform
abulwarkagainstthegrowthofgovernmentandits
excesses.Asaresult,manystateshaveprotectedand
promoted traditional marriage in pursuit of
thisimportantgovernmentinterest,oftenwithbiparti
san support, and their laws that do so are
therebyconstitutional.
Sinceitsinception,theRepublicanPartyhasbeen
the champion of equality, individual freedom and
limited government and, asa result, of the family.
Since 1856 and throughout its history, as demon
stratedin its Party'sPlatform and Resolutions,the
RepublicanPartyhassoughttostrengthentraditional
marriageandfamily,byprotectingitagainstvariousthreats that have arisen that wouldundermine the
traditionalmarriageandfamily,includingpolygamy,
deathoffathers(ineverywarorconflictsincetheCivil
War),lossofcitizenshipforAmericanwomenmarrying
immigrant men, welfare programs that erodes and
discourages family formation and continu
ation, nationalized compulsory health insurance,
abortion,themarriagetax,pornography,anddivorce.
Furthermore,theRepublicanPartyhassupported
effortstostrengthentraditionalmarriageandfamily,suchasbysupportingequalpayforworkersregardless
ofsex,protectingAmerica’sfarmingfamilies,support
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4
inghousingforlow-incomefamilies,supportingadop
tion,parentalauthorityandresponsibility,protecting
thefamily’seconomiclibertyandmoralrights,increas
ingchildtaxcredits,andpromotingfamilyplanning
throughabstinence.
Finally,thehistoryoftheRepublicanPartydemon
strates that support for traditional marriage and
familyhashadnothingtodowithanimustowardany
group, but because of the demonstrated fact that
traditionalmarriageandfamilyisapositivegoodforafreesocietyinmanywaysandiscentraltoitscre
ationandmaintenance.
Traditional family is able to offer societal safe
guards because it is inherently 1) stable (76% of
motherswhomarrybeforegivingbirthremainmar
ried);2)independent(itcanexistwithoutgovernment
and creates allegiances that help defend against
government excesses); 3) self-sufficient (it is more
likelytokeepwomenandchildrenoutofpoverty);and
4)perpetuatesitselfindefinitely(throughthebirthof children).
Traditionalmarriagestrengthensthetraditional
familybecauseitisdesignedtobe1)permanent(alife
longcommitmentpromotesstability),2)monogamous
(strong commitments to just one spouse promote
independenceandself-sufficiency), 3)sexuallyexclu
sive(whichpromotesperpetuation),4)comprehensive
(itencompasseseveryaspectofaspouse’sexistence
and so promotes stability), 5) unified in objective
(promotesstability,independenceandself-sufficiency),
and 6) heterosexual (whichpromotes stability, self-sufficiency,andperpetuation).
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5
Traditionalmarriagefrequentlybenefitseveryone.
Mothersaremorereadilyprotectedfrompovertyand
areofferedastableandsecureenvironmenttoraise
theirchildren.Menaregivenfamilialobligationsand
responsibilitiestochanneltheirenergyandaggression
intosociallydesirableends,protectingandsupporting
his wife and children, and are less likely to be
marginalizedanddisinclinedtowork.Childrenaretied
biologically to their parents and benefit from the
complementary parenting styles that a mother andfatherprovide.Andsocietyismorelikelytobecom
prisedofadultsexhibitingtrust,cooperation,andself-
restraint,withacommitmenttoandresponsibilityfor
theirfamilies.
Same-sex marriage often does not provide such
benefits. Historically, gay liberationists sought to
abolish the institution of marriage altogether. This
changed with Massachusetts’ 2003 Goodridge court
decision,whichstruckdownthatstate’sprohibitionof
same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage was then
pursuedbecauseofitsdisruptiveeffectontraditional
marriage:marriagewouldneedtoberedefined.Mar
riagenolongerwouldservetobolsterthetraditional
family,butinsteadwouldmaketraditionalmarriage’s
beneficialelementsoptional,subjugatingtheneedsof
childrentotheemotionalattachmentsofadults.
Asaresult,same-sexmarriagetypicallylacksthe
keyfeaturesthetraditionalfamilyneedstoensurea
freesociety.Itislesspermanentandstable,withmale
homosexualcouples50%morelikelytodivorcethan
heterosexualcouples,andlesbiancouples167%morelikelytodivorcethanheterosexualcouples.Itisless
likely to be sexually exclusive, with one half of a
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6
percent (0.5%) of male homosexual couples being
faithfultoeachother.Indeed,becauseitsegregatesthe
sexes, men are less likely to be monogamous and
womenare more likelyto initiatedivorce.Children
especiallycansufferasaresultiftheyarenotprovided
meaningfulinteractionwithaparentoftheopposite
sex.
Same-sex marriagehas notpromotedmarriage,
either,asmarriageratescontinuetodeclineinmost
countriesthatrecognizeit.Andwithitsredefinitionof marriage,manyhomosexualrightsscholarsrecognize
thatthismeansthatahostofotherfamilialarrange
mentsshould fall withinstate-sanctionedmarriage.
TheRepublicanParty,whichatitsfoundingopposed
polygamy,nowfindsitselfcomingfullcircle.
Thestateshaveanimportantinterestinprotecting
andpromotingtraditionalmarriageandfamilyasthe
foundationofafreesociety,sotheirlawsdoingsoare
constitutional.
ArgumentThisCourthasrepeatedlyobservedthatinfringe
mentson“fundamentallibertyinterests”anddistinc2tionsbetweensimilarlysituatedgroups willbeupheld
when the statehas a sufficientlyimportantgovern
2ThisBriefexpressesno opinion onwhetherthesecases
presentasituationwherea“fundamentallibertyinterest”
is infringed, or where Fourteenth Amendment equal
protection is triggered. Rather, this Brief argues that,
regardlessofthelevelofscrutiny,thestates’interestinpromotingtraditionalmarriageandfamily,becauseitisthe
foundationforafreesociety,issufficientlyimportantto
upholdthelawsatissueherein.
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7
mental interest.See Washington v. Glucksberg ,521
U.S.702,721(1997)(quoting Reno v. Flores, 507U.S.
292, 302 (1993)). Respondent States have precisely
suchanimportantinterestbecausetraditionalmar
riageandfamilyisthefoundationofafreesociety.So
stateshaveresistedeffortstoredefinemarriageand
insteadseektoprotecttraditionalmarriagebetween
onemanandonewoman.
Traditionalmarriage“fosterscharacteristicssuch
asfaithfulnessandsupportthatstrengthenthefoundationalbuildingblockofsociety—thefamily.”Peter
Frank, Marriage and the Family: The Social and
Economic Costs, at 9 (2012), http://www.jessehelms
center.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Marriage-and
-the-Family.pdf . So the Republican Party’s 1976
Platformrecognizedthat:
Families—notgovernmentprograms—arethe
bestwaytomakesureourchildrenareprop
erlynurtured, our elderly are caredfor, our
culturalandspiritualheritagesareperpetuated,ourlawsareobservedandourvaluesare
preserved.
TheAmericanPresidencyProject,Republican Party
Platform of 1976 (Aug. 18, 1976), available at
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25843.3
“[T]hese self-reliant individuals (are) prepared to
exercisebothrightsandresponsibilities,”withinafree
society of limited government. Republican Party
3
RepublicanPartyPlatformciteswillhereinafterhavethefollowingformat:“Republican Party Platform of [year] at
[URLdistinguishingnumber].” FullcitesareintheTable
ofAuthorities.
http://www.jessehelms/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25843.3http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25843.3http://www.jessehelms/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25843.3
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8
Platform of 1984 at25845.
Furthermore, as the Republican Party’s 2000
Platform explained,homeand family isbasedona
fatherandamother:
Republicansrecognizetheimportanceofhav
ingafatherandamotherinthehome.The
two-parentfamilystillprovidesthebestenvi
ronmentofstability,discipline,responsibility,
andcharacter.
Republican Party Platform of 2000 at25849.However,
whenthereisabreakdowninthefamilybecause
thefatherhasdesertedthisfamily,children
aremorelikelytocommitacrime,dropoutof
school,becomeviolent,becometeenparents,
takeillegaldrugs,becomemiredinpoverty,or
haveemotionalorbehavioralproblems.
Id. Theseproblems“notonlyleadtomoregovernment
costs,butalsotomoregovernmentcontroloverthe
livesofitscitizensinallaspects.”Republican Party
Platform of 2012 at 101961. And they resulted in
“fracturingthefamilyintoisolatedindividuals,eachof
them dependent upon—and helpless be
fore—government.”Republican Party Platform of 1992
at25847.
And so, since the Republican Party supports
equality,individualfreedomandlimitedgovernment:
“Asthefamilygoes,sodoestheNation.Strong
families and strong communities make a
strongAmerica.”
Id.
Traditional families,whenbasedona marriage
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9
betweenamanandawoman,areoftenself-reliantand
self-supporting, minimizing therole of government.
Furthermore, they can provide mutual support and
protectionforfamilymembers,enablingmembersto
better stand against oppressive governments. As a
result, throughoutitshistory,theRepublicanParty
hasstoodagainstrepeatedandvariedthreatstothe
integrityoftraditionalmarriageandthefamilyand,
oftenwithbipartisansupport,havesoughtstatelaws
that promote and protect traditional marriage andfamily.Theselawsareconstitutional.
I.TheRepublicanPartySupportsTraditional
MarriageBecausetheTraditionalFamilyIsthe
FoundationofaFreeSociety.
Sinceitsinception,theRepublicanPartyhasbeen
the champion of equality, individual freedom and
limitedgovernmentand,asaresult,ofthefamily.Its
firstPlatform,adoptedin1856,vigorouslyopposednot
only slavery but also polygamy—“the twin relics of
barbarism,” because the existence of slavery is arepudiation of the principle ofequality, a denial of
individualfreedoms,andantitheticaltoafreesociety;
and because polygamy undercut a free society by
redefining marriage and thereby undermining the
traditionalfamily.4Republican Party Platform of 1856
4Opposition to polygamy was “(m)otivated largely by
traditionalProtestantChristianconceptsofsexualrestraint
andtheimportanceofthefamily”anditwas“assumedby
manypeople”thatpromotionofpolygamywas“motivatedprimarilybymalesexuallicentiousnessandthedesireto
subjugatewomen.”StephenEliotSmith, Barbarians within
the Gates: Congressional Debates on Mormon Polygamy,
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10
at29619.Sincethen,theRepublicanPartyhascontin
uedtorespondtoexternal threatstothefamily,by
advocatingcareforthewidowsandchildrenofmilitary
menthatdiedincombat,Republican Party Platform of
1868 at29622,naturalizationforimmigrantwomen,
protectionofcitizenshipforAmericanwomenmarrying
immigrantmen,Republican Party Platform of 1920 at
29635;supportingequalpayforworkersregardlessof
sex, Republican Party Platform of 1944 at 25835;
protecting America’s farming families, Republican Party Platform of 1956 at25838;supportinghousing
forlow-incomefamilies,Republican Party Platform of
1960 at25839;Republican Party Platform of 1964 at
25840; opposing welfare programs that erodes and
discouragesfamilyunity,Republican Party Platform of
1968 at25841,nationalizedcompulsoryhealthinsur
ance, Republican Party Platform of 1972 at 25842,
abortion,themarriagetax,Republican Party Platform
of 1980 at 25844, pornography, Republican Party
Platform of 1984 at25845,and divorce,Republican
Party Platform of 1996 at25848;andbysupporting
adoption,Republican Party Platform of 1988 at25846,
parental authority and responsibility, Republican
Party Platform of 1992 at25847,thefamily’seconomic
liberty and moral rights, id., increasing child tax
credits,Republican Party Platform of 2000 at25849,
andfamilyplanningthroughabstinence,id.
Withtheturnofthetwenty-firstcenturycamea
renewed threat to the family: the redefinition of
marriage.Andso,forthefirsttimeinthe1996Plat
form, the Republican Party addressed and opposed
1850-1879 ,51J.Church&State587(Autumn2009).
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11
“same-sexunions.”Republican Party Platform of 1996
at25848.Astheredefinitionthreatgrew,theRepubli
canPartyaddressedtheneedforprotectionoftradi
tional marriage in its 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012
Platforms,see Republican Party Platform of 2000 at
25849; Republican Party Platform of 2004 at25850;
Republican Party Platform of 2008 at78545;Republi
can Party Platform of 2012 at101961,whilemaking
clearthat“(w)eembracetheprinciplethatallAmeri
cans should be treated with respect and dignity.”Republican Party Platform of 2012 at101961.
And since 2012, all of the recently,
unanimouslyadoptedRepublicanNationalCommittee5
5TheRepublicanNationalCommittee(“RNC”)iscomposed
ofthree(3)membersfromeachofthefifty(50)U.S.States,
theDistrictofColumbia,and five (5) U.S.Territories or
Commonwealths—theRepublicanChairman,theRepubli
canNationalCommitteeman,andtheRepublicanNational
Committeewoman. These three members are elected
accordingtotheirState’sorTerritory’sRepublicanPartyRules.RNCmembersareoftenelectedbyaConventionof
statedelegateselectedfromeverycountyintheStateor
Territory.SotheRNCisagrassrootsorganizationrepre
sentingallRepublicansthroughoutAmerica. Itischarged
withthegeneralmanagementoftheRepublicanParty.The
composition of the one hundred sixty-eight (168) RNC
membersisdiverseincultureandthought.Theyrepresent
thespectrumofconcernsfromsmallstatesandlargestates,
and of issues, rural and metropolitan, from across the
country. All RNC members agree to operate under the
PlatformandRulesoftheRepublicanPartyadoptedatthemostrecentquadrennialRepublicanNationalConvention.
See Rules of the Republican Party, available at
http://www.gop.com/rules-and-resolutions/.
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12
Resolutions6 on marriage fully support traditional
marriage.Indeed,theissuehasbeenofsuchimportto
theRepublicanPartythatthreeResolutionsonmar
riagehavebeenunanimouslyadoptedsince2012:one
onAugust22,2012,andtwoonApril12,2013.
Theunanimously-adoptedResolutioninAugustof
2012,RNC Resolution Defending Traditional Marriage,
statedthat:
Theinstitutionofmarriageisthesolidfounda
tion upon which our society is built and inwhichchildrenthrive.
Republican National Committee, RNC Resolution
Defending Traditional Marriage (Aug. 22, 2012)
available at https://cdn.gop.com/docs/2012_Summer
Meeting_Resolutions.pdf.
Thefirstunanimously-adoptedResolutionofApril
12, 2013, reaffirmed themarriage principles estab
lished in the 2012 Platform. Republican National
Committee,Resolution Supporting Core Values of the
2012 Republican Platform (April12,2013),availableathttp://cdn.gop.com/docs/Resolution_Supporting_Core _
Values_of_the_2012_Republican_Platform.pdf.Andthe
secondunanimously-adoptedResolution for Marriage
and Children 2013, passedthatsameday,reiterated
6The fullRNCconsidersadoptedResolutions duringthe
RNC’sGeneralSession,astheChairmanoftheResolutions
Committee reports them.Resolutions adopted ataRNC
GeneralSessionrepresentthevoiceandthewillofgrass
rootsRepublicansthroughoutthecountry,withcopiessenttoallRepublicanCongressmenandSenatorsandCongres
sional and Senatorial candidates, RepublicanGovernors
andRepublicanHouseandSenateleaders.
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13
that:
theinstitutionofmarriageisthesolidfounda
tion upon which our society is built and in
whichchildrenthrive;anditisbasedonthe
relationshipthatonlyamanandawomancan
form.
RepublicanNationalCommittee, Resolution for Mar
riage and Children (April 12, 2013), available at
http://cdn.gop.com/docs/Resolution_for_Marriage _
and_Children_2013.pdf.
TheseResolutions,alongwiththeRNCPlatform,
demonstrate the Republican Party’s long-held and
currentbeliefthattraditionalmarriage,theunionof
one man and one woman, must be upheld as the
nationalstandard,agoaltostandfor,encourage,and
promotethroughlawsgoverningmarriageandfamily.
IthasbeenconsistentlyrecognizedbytheRepublican
Party,includingmostrecently,thatthefamilybuilt
uponmarriagebetweenonemanandonewomanisthe
“goldstandard”forhumaninterpersonalrelationships.Itistheunionthatformsthesolidfoundationonwhich
afreesocietyisbuilt.7
AndsotheRepublicanParty’sadvocacyfortradi
tionalmarriageisnotaboutanimustowardaparticu
larsubsetofAmericansbasedonsexualpreferences,8
7 Amicirecognizethatnoteverymarriagemeetsthisideal
andthatindividualfamiliesthatdonotmeetthisidealcan
succeedinsociety.Nevertheless,freesocietyisbenefitted
bypromotingtheidealasthestandardtobeencouragedandstrivenfor.
8That the Republican Party is not driven by animus is
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14
and,infact,theprospectofsame-sexmarriagesplayed
utterlynorolewhatsoeverintheRepublicanParty’s
159-year-longdefenseofthefamilyuntilthelastfew
years. The Republican Party supported traditional
marriageandfamilybecauseitisthefoundationfor
freesociety,andunderminingit,byanymeans,under
minestraditionalfamilyformation,therebyencourag
ing the growth of government and removing a key
bulwarkagainstgovernment,particularlytyrannical
andtotalitarianones.Millionsofwomenarecurrentlyhavingchildren
outsideofmarriage,significantlyincreasingtheirrisk
of poverty and government dependence. Marriage:
America’s Number 1 Weapon Against Child Poverty,
The Heritage Foundation, http://www.heritage.
evidentinthesubstantialparticipationoflesbians,homo
sexualsandhomosexualrightssupportersintheRepubli
canParty.Forexample,theBriefAmiciCuriaeofKenneth
B.Mehlmanlists304amicisupportingsame-sexmarriage.Whilefewoftheseamicihavebeeninelectedpolicy-making
positions,suchasinelectedpublicoffice(66amiciarelisted
as current (11) or past (55) elected Republican public
officialsoutofanestimated500,000electedpublicofficials
in the United States, Christopher R. Berry & Jacob E.
Gersen,The Fiscal Consequences of Electoral Institutions at
14,available at http://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/344.pdf )
oras elected Republican Party officers (10 are listed as
currentorpastelectedRepublicanPartyofficers),191ofthe
amicihaveheldimportantappointedpositionsinRepubli
canPartyorganizations,candidatecampaignsorgovernment.37oftheamiciarelistedinotherprivatecapacities,
suchasmembersofadvocacygroups,philanthropists,or
politicalcommentators.
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org/childpoverty/united-states(lastvisitedMarch31,
2015).ThisistheproblemthattheRepublicanParty’s
supportfortraditionalmarriageseekstoaddress.And
in so doing, the prospects fora freesociety willbe
enhanced.
A. The Traditional Family Guards Against
PovertyandtheNeedFortheGrowthofthe
WelfareState.
Fordecades,theRepublicanPartyadvocatedfor
governmentsupportforpost-CivilWarwidowswithchildren.Republican Party Platform of 1868 at29622;
Republican Party Platform of 1900 at29630.Recogniz
ingthevitalroleahusbandandfatheroftenplaysin
thefamily,andthesubstantialcosttothefamilyof
lossofakeymember,theRepublicanPartysupported
alimitedgovernmentroleinensuringsuchfamilies
succeed despite their loss. And these government
programs did not encourage family breakup. The
breakupoccurredduetodeathinwar.
Suchisnotthecaseforsomewelfareprograms.TheRepublicanPartyopposedtheadoptionofboth
PresidentJohnson’sAidtoFamilieswithDependent
Children(AFDC)program,whichexpandedthewelfare
programtocoverallunmarriedparentswithchildren,
see Republican Party Platform of 1968 at25841(“Wel
fareandpovertyprogramswillbedrasticallyrevised
toliberatethepoorfromthedebilitatingdependence
whicherodesself-respectanddiscouragesfamilyunity
andresponsibility”),andJohnson’s“GreatSociety” food
stampprogramexpansion,whichballoonedduringhis
termfrom424,000participantsto2.2million.Michael
Fumento, Is The Great Society to Blame? If Not, Why
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Have Problems Worsened Since ‘60s?,Investor’sBus.
Daily(June19,1992),availableathttp://fumento.com/
economy/greatsociety.html. Such programs often
underminedthefamilyandincreaseddependenceon
andthegrowthofgovernment.
Theblackcommunityoffersacasestudyjustifying
theseconcerns.DanielPatrickMoynihan,asociologist
who was the Assistant Secretary of Labor under
President Johnson and later a Democratic Senator
from New York, observed the demise of the blackfamilyin1964and,filingareportin1965,advocated
for“anationalefforttowardstheproblemsofNegro
Americans must be directed toward the question of
family structure.” Patrick Moynihan, The Negro
Family: The Case For National Action,UnitedStates
DepartmentofLabor(1965), available at http://www.
dol.gov/dol/aboutdol/history/webid-moynihan.html.
Implicit in Moynihan’s analysis was that
marriageorientsmenandwomentowardsthe
future,askingthemnotjusttocommittoeachother but to plan, to earn, to save, and to
devotethemselvestoadvancingtheirchildren’s
prospects. Singlemothers... tendedtodrift
intopregnancy,oftenmorethanonceandby
morethanoneman,andtofloatthroughthe
chaosaroundthem.Suchmothersareunlikely
to‘shapetheirchildren’scharacterandability’
inwaysthatleadtoupwardmobility.
KayS.Hymowitz,The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies,
CityJournal(Summer2005),available at http://www.
city-journal.org/html/15_3_black_family.html. However,theJohnsonadministrationrejectedMoynihan’s
recommendationsandlaunchedwelfareprogramsthat
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oftendrovefathersoutoftheirchildren’shomes.
In1960,23percentofblackchildrenwerebornout
ofwedlock (a level that seemed alarmingly high to
Moynihan). Bryce Christensen, Time for A New
‘Moynihan Report’? Confronting the National Family
Crisis, TheFamilyinAmerica,Vol.18,No.10(Oct.
2004),available at http://profam.org/pub/fia/fia_1810.
htm.By1987,after15yearsoftheWaronPoverty
welfareprogramsoftheGreatSociety,out-of-wedlock
birthsroseto 62percent.Id.At thesame time,themarriagerateofblackwomenages25to29plummeted
from 60 percent to 32 percent. Id. “And just as
Moynihanhadpredicted,thisunravelingoftheblack
family incubated a nightmarish brood of social
problems—crime, abuse,academic failure, economic
distress, homelessness, and physical and mental
illness.”Id. Moynihanidentified“atangleofpathol
ogy”thathesaidcharacterizedthecommunity,includ
ing“delinquency,joblessness,schoolfailure,crime,and
fatherlessness.”Homes,supra.
Thisoccurredbecausethegovernment’sresponse,
ratherthanstrengtheningfamilies,insteadlistenedto
critics that ridiculed thereport asa racisteffort to
blamethevictimandsopursuedits“WaronPoverty”
withprogramsdirectednotatreformingthefamilybut
instead reinforced dependency on government and
underminethefamily:
[Before the report, many poor black (and
white)couplesmadetheheroiceffortsneces
sary to keep their marriages and families
togetherbecausetheirculturalleaderscontin
uallytoldthemitwasworthdoingso...[after
thereport]inthesixtiesprominentfiguresin
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law,themedia,andentertainment—including
thosesavagingtheMoynihanReport—beganto
sendthemessage that Americans who were
‘morallysuperior’lookeddownnot on‘anyone
who had a baby without marrying. . . [but
rather]onanyonewhodisapproved ofunwed
mothers.Whenpoorblacksbegantohearthat
message...theynaturallygaveupmaking
heroic efforts to keep their marriages and
families together. It was then that blackdivorceandillegitimacyratessoared.
Christensen,supra(emphisisinoriginal).
Moynihan’spredictionalsobearsoutanecdotally.
First Lady Michelle Obama was born in 1964 in
ParkwayGardensinChicagoandlivedtherefortwo
yearsbeforemovingwith her familycloser toLake
Michiganin1965.Herfamilywasatraditionalone:
“the mother at home, the father works, you have
dinneraroundthetable.Ihadaverystable,conven
tionalupbringing,andthatfeltverysafetome.”LeslieBennetts, First Lady in Waiting , Vanity Fair (Dec.
2007), available at http://www.vanityfair.com/
news/2007/12/michelle_obama200712.
Now,theParkwayGardensareaisreferredtoas
“O” Block—so named for 20-year-old gang member
Odes Perry gunned down therein 2011. Itwasthe
mostdangerousblockinChicagobetween2011and
2014,with19shootings.Whythedifference?According
tolocalpreacherRev.CoryBrooks,“(t)heenvironment
wasfamily-focused.. .Peoplewereworking. When
youeliminateallthosethingsfromacommunity—mennotinthehouseholdandeducationfailing—itwillbe
a drastic difference than what the first lady of the
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United States and her family experienced.”9 Frank
Main,The Most Dangerous Block In Chicago, Chicago
SunTimes(Oct.31,2014).
Thiscultureofdependencedidnotonlyimpactthe
blackcommunity:
WhenJohnsonlaunchedtheWaronPoverty,
7 percent of American children were born
outsideofmarriage.Today,thenumberisover
40percent.... therehasbeennosignificant
increase in the number of married-couplefamilieswithchildren(bothpoorandnon-poor)
intheU.S.since1965. Bycontrast,thenum
berofsingle-parentfamilieswithchildrenhas
skyrocketedbynearly10million,risingfrom
3.3.millionsuchfamiliesin1965to13.2mil
lionin2012. Sincesingle-parentfamiliesare
roughlyfourtimesmorelikelythanmarried-
couplefamiliestolackself-sufficiency(andto
be officially poor), this unraveling of family
structure has exerted a powerful downwardpullagainstself-sufficiencyandsubstantially
boosted the official child poverty rate. . . .
welfarebegan to serve as a substitutefora
husband in the home . . . [and] the welfare
systemactivelypenalizedlow-incomecouples
whodidmarrybyeliminatingorsubstantially
reducingbenefits.Ashusbandsleftthehome,
9Indeed,Rev.Brookscampedoutontheroofofaboarded-
upmotelon“O” Block todrawnationalattention totherampantgunfireintheneighborhood.Hehasraisedmore
than$450,000 from his rooftopcampaigntoconvert the
moteltoacommunitycenter.Main,supra.
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the need for morewelfare to support single
mothersincreased...creat[ing]adestructive
feedbackloop:Welfarepromotedthedeclineof
marriage,whichgeneratedtheneedformore
welfare.
Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield, The War on
Poverty After 50 Years,TheHeritageFoundation(Sept.
15 2014), available at http://www.heritage.org/
research/reports/2014/09/the-war-on-poverty-after-50
-years.Unlikeaprogramprovidingfinancialsupporttomilitaryfamiliesthatlostaparentorspousedueto
war,theseprogramsoftenencouragedsingle-parent
households and thereby encouraged a culture of
dependencytowhichtheRepublicanPartyobjects.
B. The Traditional Family Protects Against
TyrannyAndGovernmentExcess.
Totalitarian regimes exhibit one common trait:
theyaimtoundermineordestroyofthefamily.Such
destruction eradicates competition for allegiances,
“atomizing”individualssothattheyhavenoattachmenttoajob,family,friendsorclass,andisolating
themtomakethemmorevulnerableanddependent:
Totalitariangovernment. . .couldnotexist
withoutdestroyingthepublicrealmoflife...
byisolatingmen(andwomen),theirpolitical
capabilities.Buttotalitariandomination...is
newinthatit...destroysprivatelifeaswell.
Itbasesitselfonloneliness,ontheexperience
ofnotbelongingtotheworldatall,whichis
amongthemostradicalanddesperateexperi
encesofman.
HannahArendt,The Origins of Totalitarianism 475
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(1951). Traditional families—husband, wives, chil
dren—guardagainstsuchtyrannyandtrytosupport
andprotectfamilymembersfromgovernmentabuse
and controls that are the hallmarkofsuchgovern
ments.Traditionalfamilystructuresgivethepurpose,
direction,obligation,andsupportwhichhelpsfamily
membersoppose thedestructionof afreesocietyby
suchregimes.
II.TraditionalMarriageEnsuresAFreeSoci
etyByProtectingtheTraditionalFamily. A. TheTraditionalFamilyIsStable,Independ
ent, Self-Supporting and Self-Sufficient,
ReplicatingItselfIndefinitely.
Afreesocietyflourisheswithtraditionalfamiliesat
itsfoundation.Thisisbecausethetraditionalfamily
hasfouressentialcomponents.
First, the traditional family is stable. “76% of
mothers who married before giving birth remained
intactcomparedto44%ofthosewhomarriedlaterand
31%ofthosewhonevermarried.”HarryBenson,Getmarried BEFORE you have children, MarriageFoun
dation (March 2015), available at http://www.
marriagefoundation.org.uk/Shared/Uploads/Products
/15035_MF%20paper%20-%20Get%20married%20bef
ore%20children.pdf. The traditional family offers
predictabilityandsecurity.
Second,thetraditionalfamilyisindependent.It
canexistwithoutgovernment.Andbecauseallegiances
to the family come first, its members will defend
againstunwantedandexcessivegovernmentintrusion.Third,thefamilyisself-sufficient.Bothhusband
andwifearemotivatedtoensurethesuccessfortheir
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family,helpingkeepthefamilyoutofpoverty.Rector
andSheffield,supra.
Last,thetraditionalfamilyencouragesthecreation
ofchildren.“Coitus”(fromtheLatincoitus,thecoming
togetherofmaleandfemalesexorgans)istheactthat
“consummates”amarriage:
Incoitus,andtherealone,amananda
woman’sbodiesparticipatebyvirtueof
theirsexualcomplementarityinacoordi
nationthathasthebiologicalpurposeof reproduction—afunctionthatneithercan
performalone.
Sherif Girgis,Ryan T.Anderson, RobertP.George,
What is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense 99
(2012).Thebiological complementarityofitsparent
membersensuresthetraditionalfamilywillperpetuate
itselfindefinitely.
B. TraditionalMarriage Offers UniqueFea
turesThatReinforceTheStrengthofTra
ditionalFamily.
Traditionalmarriage10strengthensthetraditional
family.Itdoesthisthroughsixkeyfeaturesitseeksto
promote.
First,itseekstobepermanent.RyanT.Anderson,
Monogamy, Exclusivity, and Permanence?,TheHeri
tage Foundation (Dec. 13, 2012), available at
http://www.heritage.org/research/commentary/2012/
12/monogamy-exclusivity-and-permanence.Marriage
10Suchmarriagesareequallyavailabletoall.See Loving v.
Virginia, 388U.S.1,12(1967).Theyarenotcompulsory.
Id.
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istobeundertakenasalifelongcommitmentbetween
spousestofamilylife.
Second,itismonogamous.Id. Onlyonemanand
onewomanmayparticipateinanyonemarriage.This
formsstrongallegiancesbetweenthetwopartnersthat
protectthestabilityandindependenceofthefamily.
Third,itpromotessexualexclusivity.Id. National
surveyshaveconsistentlyfoundthatthemajorityof
heterosexualmarriagesarefaithful,with75-81%of
menand85-88%ofwomenreportingthattheyhavehad no extramarital sex. Michael W. Weiderman,
Extramarital Sex: Prevalence and Correlates In A
National Survey, TheJournalofSexResearch,at 34
(1997); ABC News Primetime Live Poll: The American
S e x S u r v e y ( 2 0 0 4 ) , a v a i l a b l e a t
http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/959a1America
nSexSurvey.pdf; Tom W. Smith, American Sexual
Behavior: Trends, Socio-Demographic Differences, and
Risk Behavior, at 8 (2006), available at
http://www.norc.org/PDFs/Publications/AmericanSexualBehavior2006.pdf. This too reinforces strong
allegiancesthatpromotestabilityandindependence
withinthefamilyanditsperpetuation.
Fourth,itiscomprehensive.Itencompassesevery
aspect ofaperson’sexistenceincludingsexualrela
tions.Thisalsopromotesstability,independence,self-
sufficiency,andperpetuation.
Fifth,ithasunifiedends—alifetimecommitment
tofamilylife.Thistoohelpstoensurethestabilityand
self-sufficiencyofthefamily. Andlast,itisheterosexual.“Malesandfemalesare
inherentlydifferent. Marriage servestobring these
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twogenderstogether....malesandfemalesarecom
plementary.” Frank, supra. In this way, marriage
bringsaboutgenderintegration.FrancesKelly,Shifty
Words: What does “marriage equality” actually mean?,
Mercatornet(Feb.5,2012),at http://www.mercatornet.
com/articles/view/shifty_words. “Without both, the
marriageisincomplete,”Frank,supra,andthefamily
often suffers. Indeed, as Justice Ginsburg recently
observed:
A wise old man and a wise old woman willreachthesamejudgment.Ithinkthatistrue.
Butwealsobringtothetableourlife'sexperi
ence, which is different. A very important
difference:Areyoumale?Areyoufemale?...
All of those differences, I think, make The
SupremeCourtbench,makeallthebenchesin
the country, ever so much better thanthey
werewhenonlyonekindofpersonsatinthe
seatofjudgment.
A Conversation with Ruth Bader Ginsburg , 56 TheRecord of the Association of the Bar of the City of New
York 8,9(Winter2001).Evenmoresoforthefamily.
Heterosexualityhelpsensurethatthefamilyisself-
sufficientandcanreproduceitselfindefinitely.
C. Traditional Marriage Benefits Husbands,
WivesandMothers,Children,andSociety.
“[M]arriedpeople inWesternEurope andNorth
Americaaregenerallyhappier,healthier,andbetter
protectedagainsteconomicsetbacksandpsychological
depressionthan peopleinanyother livingarrangement.”StephanieCoontz,Marriage, A History: From
Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Mar
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riage 309 (2005). All members of the fam
ily—husbands,wivesandmothers,andchildren—and
societycanbenefitfromsucharrangements.
1. Mothers Benefit from Traditional Mar
riage.
Thebenefitsoftraditionalmarriageformothers
aresubstantial.Only6.8%ofmarriedmotherslivein
poverty, 82% less that their singlemother counter
parts.Marriage: America’s Number 1 Weapon Against
Child Poverty, supra.Indeed,“[i]fpoorwomenwhogivebirthoutsideofmarriageweremarriedtothefathers
of their children, two-thirds would immediately be
liftedoutofofficialpovertyintoself-sufficiency.”Rector
andSheffield,supra.And“76%of motherswhowere
marriedbeforehavingtheirfirstchildremainedso15
yearson.”First comes love, then comes marriage . . .
tying the knot before first baby is a key ingredient for
marriage success,MarriageFoundation(Mar.92015),
http://www.marriagefoundation.org.uk/Web/News/
News.aspx?news=179&RedirectUrl=%2FWeb%2FContent%2FDefault.aspx%3FContent%3D440.
Thequalitiesthattraditionalmarriagepromotes
—permanence,monogamy,andsexuallyexclusivity—
seektocreateasecureenvironmentforamotherto
raiseherchildren. Withoutit,sheoftenstrugglesto
makeendsmeetandcanbeforcedtobedependenton
others,includingthegovernment,forsupport.
2. MenBenefitFromTraditionalMarriage.
The benefit of traditional marriage to men is
substantialaswell.Menbenefitfromthesocializingeffectthatwomenbringinamarriage:
. . . women transform male lust into love;
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channelmalewanderlustintojobs,homesand
families; link men to specific children; rear
children into citizens; change hunters into
fathers;divertmalewilltopowerintoadrive
tocreate.Womenconceivethefuturethatmen
tendtoflee...
GeorgeGilder,Men and Marriage5(1986).11
Thus,marriagehelpstofocusaman’senergyand
aggression to socially desirable ends—providing for
andprotectingwivesandchildren,makingtheirwivesand children feel secure, happyand loved.Without
such a traditional family structure—single mother
familiesonwelfare,forexample—the“marginalization
ofthemen”canoccur.Fumento,supra.Whenmenlack
anobligationofresponsibilitytosupporttheirchildren
andtheirmother,studiesshowanincreaseinnotjust
maleunemploymentbutanunavailabilitytoworkat
all.Id.
Thus,marriedmenare:
moreattachedtothelaborforces,onaverageearnhigherwageseachyeartheyaremarried,
havelesssubstanceabuse,commitlesscrime,
arelesslikelytobethevictimsofcrime,have
betterphysicalandpsychologicalhealth,live
11Indeed, “the long term presence of men helping raise
familiesbringslongtermbenefitstowomen....wherethe
status of men is lackluster, so too will be the status of
women.” Andrea Mrozek, The Status of Men: Boys Are
Lagging. How Does The Decline of Marriage Play A Role?,Institute of Marriage and Family Canada, available at
http://www.imfcanada.org/sites/default/files/StatusOfMen_
Nov2010_Final_web.pdf.
http:///reader/full/1986).11http:///reader/full/1986).11http://www.imfcanada.org/sites/defaulthttp:///reader/full/1986).11http://www.imfcanada.org/sites/default
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longer,andarelesslikelytobevictimsofa
seriousaccident.
GeorgeA.Akerlof,Explorations in Pragmatic Econom
ics: Select Papers of George A. Akerlof 163-64(2005).
Traditionalmarriagepromotesmaleproductivityand
givesmenasociallydesirablepurpose.
3. ChildrenBenefitFromTraditionalMar
riage.
Childrenalsocanbenefitfromthepresenceoftheir
motherandfatherintheirhousehold.Indeed:
[I]tisnotsimplythepresenceoftwoparents.
..butthepresenceoftwo biological parents
thatseemstosupportchildren’sdevelopment.
[R]esearch clearly demonstrates that family
structuremattersforchildren,andthefamily
structure that helps children the most is a
familyheadedbytwobiologicalparentsina
low-conflict marriage. Children in single-
parent families, childrenborn tounmarried
mothers, and children in step families orcohabitingrelationships face higherrisksof
pooroutcomes . .. .There isthusvaluefor
childreninpromotingstrong,stablemarriages
betweenbiologicalparents.”
RyanT.Anderson,Marriage Matters: Consequences of
Redefining Marriage, TheHeritageFoundation(March
18, 2013), available at http://www.heritage.org/
research/reports/2013/03/why-marriage-matters-cons
equences-of-redefining-marriage (quoting Kristin
AndersonMoore,SusanM.Jekielek,andCarolEmig,Marriage from a Child’s Perspective: How Does Family
Structure Affect Children, and What Can We Do About
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It?, ChildTrendsChild Research Brief at1,6(June
2002))(emphasisinoriginal).
Menandwomenoftenhavedifferentbutcomple
mentaryparentingstylesthatareessentialtoachild’s
development: “Mothers [may] use more parenting
techniquesofgentlenessandsecurity,whilefathers
[may favor independence and confidence-building.
Theseapproacheshelpchildrenunderstandtheworld
indifferentways;theybalanceeachother.”William
Scottand AmyDe LaHunt,The Important Role ofFathers in the Lives of Young Children, Parent as
Teachers (last updated Nov. 16, 2011),available at
http://www.parentsasteachers.org/images/stories/doc
uments/Fatherhood_Resources/ImportantRoleofFath
ers.pdf.“Whilemotherstendtoprovidemoreemotional
warmth for their children, fathers often provide a
strongsenseof security.Whilechildrenusuallycan
dependontheirmothersforunconditionallove,they
oftenmustearntheirfather’sapproval.Whilemothers
soothetheirchildrenmoreoften,fathersoftenprovide
morestimulation.”How Do Fathers Fit In?,Civitas:
The Institute for the Study of Civil Society,
http://www.civitas.org.uk/hwu/fathers.php.
Fathersalsocaninfluencethemoraldevelopment
oftheirchildrenasrolemodels:“Adultswhosefathers
had been highly involved when they were children
weremoretolerantandunderstandingandengagedin
moresociallyresponsiblebehaviorthanthosewithless
involved fathers.” Id. Conversely, “‘boys raised in
father-absent homes gravitate to gangs and gang-
activities,’apparently...because[they]lackahealthydomestic exemplar . . . and are therefore trying to
‘demonstratecompensatorymasculinedevelopment,’a
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kind of pathological ‘hypermasculinity’ evident in
aggressivegangactivities.”Christensen,supra (quot
ing Young, Black, and Male in America: An Endan
gered Species 195(1988)and PatriciaMoranandAllan
Barclay,Effects of Fathers’ Absence in Delinquent Boys:
Dependency and Hypermasculinity, 62 Psychological
Reports115-121(1988)).
Boys raised with engaged fathers have fewer
behavioral problems, and adolescent girls with in
volved fathers often grow up with healthier, morepositiveopinionsofandrelationshipswithmen.Nadia
Haris, Role of Fathers in Child Rearing ,
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/role-fathers-child-r
earing-3454.html.Involvedfathersprovideemotional
securityandconfidenceintheirchildren,givingthem
stronger self-esteem, a healthy body image, and
making them better able to avoid drugs and other
negativeinfluences. Id. Theyarelesslikelytosuffer
fromdepression,arebetterabletocopewithstressand
frustrationduringlearningandstudying,andaremore
likelytobesociable,friendly,andpopularwiththeir
peers.Id.
Mothersarealsocriticalfortheirchildren’swell
being.Mothers:
seemtoconnectwiththeirsonsjustbybeing
with them, by giving them their undivided
attention,andbymakingthemselvesavailable
as an unfailing source of love, comfort, and
support....theabsenceofacloserelationship
withalovingmotherputsaboyatadisadvan
tage inbecominga free,confidentandinde
pendentman....
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WilliamPollock,Real Boys: Rescuing our Sons from the
Myths of Boyhood 82(1998).Childrencanbenefitfrom
traditionalmarriage.
4. Society Benefits From Traditional Mar
riage.
SinceAristotle,westerncivilizationhasrecognized
theprimacyofmarriageandthefamily:“Afreesociety
requiresself-restraining,self-monitoring,self-govern
ing adults.” Jennifer Morse, Love and Economics 6
(2008).See Aristotle,The Politics of Aristotle 9(1997)(observing that one of the first communities of the
householdisthatof“husbandandwifeforgeneration
...”).Andso:
Itishardtoconceiveaninterestmorelegiti
mateandmoreparamountforthestatethan
promoting an optimal social structure for
educating,socializing,andpreparingitsfuture
citizenstobecomeproductiveparticipantsin
civilsociety.
Lofton v. Secretary of the Department of Children andFamily Services XI ,358F.3d804,819(11thCir.2004).
Traditionalmarriagepromotesthefamily,which
isoften“essentialtoraisingindividualswhoexhibit
trust,cooperation,andself-restraint,qualitieswhich
American society is built upon and that the family
inculcatesintochildren.”Frank,supra, at11(citing
Morse,supra,at6). Traditionalmarriage“issociety’s
leastrestrictivemeansofensuringthewell-beingof
children. . . . [It] encourag[es] men and women to
committoeachotherandtakeresponsibilityfortheirchildren.” Anderson, Marriage Matters, supra. By
promoting traditional marriage, society promotes a
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commitmenttovaluechildrenandtheirupbringing.
RyanT.Anderson,Marriage: What It Is,Why It Mat
ters, and the Consequences of Redefining It (Mar.11,
2013), available at http://www.heritage.org/research/
reports/2013/03/marriage-what-it-is-why-it-matters-a
nd-the-consequences-of-redefining-it.
III.TheTraditionalFamilyIsUndermined
ByLegalRecognitionofSame-SexMar
riage.
A. TheHistoryoftheSame-SexMarriageMovement.
While many want same-sex marriage for the
benefits they think they would enjoy, in the gay
liberationmovement,itrepresentsthevictoryofone
strategyaimedatunderminingtraditionalmarriage
overanother.Asthegayliberationmovementroseto
greaterprominenceinthewaveofthe1960sfeminist
movement, it adopted the Leftist12 critique of the
marriageinstitution:
Feminists and gay rights scholars havecritiquedmarriageboth initshistoricaland
contemporarypermutations.Thiscritiquehas
largely hinged onmarriage asa vehicle for
subordinating women and children in a
gender-hierarchicalstructure.Feministcritical
effortshavefocusedonrevealinganddecreas
ing the extent to which women’s economic,
legal,andsocialpowerhingesonmarriageand
onthegenderhierarchywithinmarriage.Gay
12Both 1960s feminism and gay liberation are Leftist
movements.SuzanneA.Kim,Skeptical Marriage Equality,
34Harv.J.L.Gender37,42(2011).
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rights scholars have also focused on the
heteronormative discipline that marriage
imposesonsexualminorities.
Kim, supra, at 42 (emphasis added); see also Julie
Shapiro,Reflections on Complicity,8N.Y.CityL.Rev.
657,660-661(2005)(“[E]choingearlierfeminists,[gay
liberationists]sawtheveryinstitutionofmarriageas
a negative rather than a positive social force.They
identifieditasapatriarchalandoppressiveinstitution
thathashistoricallylimitedtherightsofwomenandwouldnarrowthemeaningoflibertyinthefuture.”).
Gayliberationists,liketheirfeministcounterparts,
hadgreatantipathytomarriageingeneral:
Atthetime[theearly1970s],manyhet
erosexualfeministschosenottomarryin
ordertomakeastatementagainstmar
riage,whichtheybelieved to beanop
pressive,patriarchalinstitution.I believe
that the desire to marry in the lesbian and
gay community is an attempt to mimic theworst of mainstream society,aneffortto
fitintoaninherentlyproblematicinstitu
tion that betrays the promise of both
lesbian and gay liberation and radical
feminism.
NancyD.Polikoff,We Will Get What We Ask For: Why
Legalizing Gay And Lesbian Marriage Will Not “Dis
mantle The Legal Structure Of Gender In Every Mar
riage,” 79 Va. L. Rev.1535, 1536 (1993) (emphasis
added).Forgayliberationists(andradicalfeminists),marriage—whethertraditionalorsame-sex—imposes
“gender”distinctions and“gender”baseddutiesand
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attitudes that are unequal and therefore unjust.
Historical and contemporary same-sex relationship
researchrevealsthat“same-sexpartnersassume[]the
traditionalgenderedrolesofdifferent-sexcouples.”Id.
at1537-1538(citingsources);ChristopherCarrington,
No Place Like Home: Relationships and Family Life
among Lesbians and Gay Men 14-16(1999)(finding
empirically same-sex relationships do not result in
equaldivisionofdomesticlabor).
A huge shift in gay liberation rhetoric occurredafterthecourtin Goodridge v. Department of Public
Health,798N.E.2d941(Mass.2003),heldthatdeny
ingastate-sanctionedmarriagetosame-sexcouples
violatedtheMassachusettsconstitution.Anewrheto
ric ascended, framing same-sex marriage as just
anotherformofmarriage:
Whereonce‘themarriagedebate’referredto
thedebatebetweenvariousfactionswithinthe
lesbianandgaymovements,itnowmeansthe
debate between those advocating ‘access tomarriage for same-sex couples’ and those
opposedto‘same-sexmarriage.’
Shapiro,supra,at665.Theoriginalradicalfeminists
and gay liberationists’ marriage abolition rhetoric
mostlydisappearedfromthepublicdebate,butthose
activiststookcomfortthatsame-sexmarriagewould
disrupttheinstitutionofmarriage:“Itspotentialisto
disruptboththegendereddefinitionofmarriageand
theassumptionthatmarriageisaformofsocially,if
notlegally,prescribedhierarchy.”NanD.Hunter,Sex
Wars: Sexual Dissent and Political Culture 109(2006).
Same-sexmarriagealsoservesforsomeas“civildisobe
dience”and“politicalresistance”totraditionalhetero
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sexualmarriage,asitwould“disruptheteronormative
notionsofpublicandprivateandproperplace,”andit
signals“refusaltocomplywithheterosexistsilences
and invisibility of same-sex relationships.” Nicola
Barker,Not the Marrying Kind: A Feminist Critique of
Same-Sex Marriage121(2012).
Shifting the same-sex marriage rhetoric from
abolitionisttoassimilationistwasandremainspartof
a strategy by many to undermine marriage while
claiming to protect it. See Shapiro, supra, at 658(identifyingherselfas“anti-marriage,”theauthorfor
strategic reasons nevertheless pursues same-sex
marriage“litigation[that]seeksagoalthatIreject.”).
B. TheLegalizationofSame-SexMarriage
RequiresaRedefinitionofMarriage.
“Heterosexual marriages differ from same-sex
marriages in purpose, method, and fruit.” Frank,
supra,at6.“Creatingadistinctionbetweenheterosex
ualandsame-sexmarriagesisnotarbitrarilydiscrimi
natory. It is a distinction based on the nature andpurposeofmarriage.”Frank,supra, at8.Evenifthe
intentisnottounderminemarriage,tomakehetero
sexualandsame-sexmarriageequal,marriagemust
necessarilyberedefined.
Thekeyrevisionistosubordinatechildren’sneed
forbiologicalparentstoadultdesires,howevermani
fest,reducingmarriageto“emotionalbondsorlegal
privileges....emotionalintensity[i]stheonlything
thatsetsmarriageapartfromotherbonds.”Anderson,
Marriage: What It Is,supra.Thisredefinitionmakes
traditionalmaritalnormsarbitraryandnonsensicalas
aprincipledmatter:
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Thereisnoreasonofprinciplethatrequiresan
emotionaluniontobepermanent.Orlimited
totwopersons. Orsexual,muchlesssexually
exclusive(asopposedto“open”).Orinherently
orientedtofamilylifeandshapedbyitsde
mands....ifsexualcomplementarityisop
tionalformarriage,thenalmosteveryother
normthatsetsmarriageapartisoptional.
Id.
It iswith this redefinitionofmarriage that theRepublicanPartyfindsitsdefenseofthefamilycome
fullcircle.Forunderthisnewdefinition,polygamy—to
which the Republican Party objected in 1856 on
accountthatitun