A recently
released Boston College study indicates that legal
recognition and the opportunity to make a public
statement are the prime motivators for Massachusetts
gay and lesbian couples to marry.
A recently
released Boston College study indicates that legal
recognition and the opportunity to make a public
statement are the prime motivators for Massachusetts
gay and lesbian couples to marry.
The college
conducted the study 13 months after Massachusetts legalized
same-sex marriage. (The state began marrying gay couples in
May 2004.) Professor Pamela J. Lannutti surveyed 263
couples, including those who were legally married in
Massachusetts and those who plan to marry. The average
relationship duration was 7.5 years.
A quarter of
couples said they were motivated to marry for legal
protections, while 20% said they wanted to make a public
statement of commitment, and only 15% cited feelings
for their partner.
Others said they
tied the knot to receive acknowledgement from family
members (14%), legal protection for help in having
children (13%), political reasons (4%), and religious
reasons (2%).
“The
arrival of same-sex marriage brings up many issues that
often lurk in the background in families. It forces
same-sex couples and their parents to confront their
deepest feelings about same-sex love,” said
Robert-Jay Green, Ph.D., in a press release from Rockway
Institute, a national center for psychology research,
education, and public policy on sexual orientation and
gender issues.
A common obstacle
for same-sex couples to overcome when considering
marriage is lack of family approval. Forty-one percent of
the couples interviewed reported dissatisfaction from
parents. A majority of couples, 58%, said their
primary method of dealing with family members'
disapproval is to ignore it.
“We almost
changed our minds about getting married,” said a male
participant. “We thought our families were OK with us
as a couple, but when we wanted to send out wedding
invitations, his parents freaked out.”
The study was
published in the Journal of LGBT Family
Studies. (Kandice Day, The Advocate)
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