Larger Editorials: Alabama’s Shifting Attitudes Towards Gay Marriage

Occasionally, I get asked why I don’t talk about issues that relate to homosexuals more often. The argument usually goes “Surely, there is enough material to write about gay marriage in one of the most homophobic states in the country.” And of course there is, except for two things: 1. I haven’t met that many gay people in Alabama (I know they’re there but I personally don’t know many) and the few that I have met don’t want to be interviewed despite my numerous requests. 2. I don’t consider any of the issues facing homosexuals to be real political issues.

What I mean is that I feel like it’s a fake-issue that’s been shoehorned into the political scene to play on people’s intolerance. Now sure, you could say that about a lot of issues currently out there, but whether it’s affirmative action or illegal immigration, you could at least make an argument that those have an abstract effect on our economy, and a case could be made that they’re political. You can’t do that with gays in the military or gay marriage. You just can’t. One side is asking for basic civil rights that no other group in the country is denied, and the other side is asking for them not to have them. It’s not a reasonable debate. The only thing that would truly satisfy the conservative side in this argument is for homosexuals to all “convert” to being heterosexuals, and that’s not happening, ever. Homosexuals exist, have existed, and will continue to exist forever, and I can’t believe I actually have to write that. To me, it’s not a “liberal” position to say gay people shouldn’t have to hide in the closet to serve in the military, it’s an acknowledgment of reality.

And yet, most Alabamians never saw it that way (and the majority still don’t)…until now. Now, I’m not saying that a mass wave of tolerance has suddenly washed over the land. After all, even a lot of the black churches in the South that fought so diligently for their own Civil Rights haven’t shown any sort of acceptance towards homosexual marriage, and quite a few black Alabama Democrats (typically the first to embrace any new societal changes in Alabama) will enthusiastically vote for Obama, but not support gay marriage. But what I have noticed is a dramatic rise in the number of everyday “Who gives a shit?”s I get when talking about gay marriage.

In Alabama, you just aren’t going to get straight guys to come out (no pun intended) and openly say “Yes, we should absolutely give gay people the right to marry because it’s the right thing to do.” There isn’t going to be any grand speeches or pleas for tolerance and Gregory Peck isn’t going to take the stage and give a rousing speech to open our minds. That isn’t going to happen. The best you can hope for is a firm “Who gives a shit if they get married?” And that’s what I’m hearing in increasing numbers.

The old line of “Well, they shouldn’t get married because The Bible says it’s wrong,” is becoming more sheepish. Even some of the people still saying it, seem a little bored with saying it. It’s as if they can subconsciously sense that they’re on the losing end of history yet again. And so the chorus of “Who gives a shit if gays marry?” (sometimes it’s “Who gives a shit if fags marry?” if someone really feels uncomfortable treating them like human beings) is taking hold. It’s the “Oh, alright…go ahead,” gradual submission to tolerance, the best we can hope for, and what I think we’re getting closer to.