Pro Gay Marriage

The gay rights movement I feel is really built on the emotions that the members of the movement feel individually, and also the emotions that they convey as a group. Members of the gay rights movement need to be strong to deal with the criticism and harsh words they have thrown at them by people who object the movement. Strength is the main emotion that I would relate to the gay movement. Another emotion that can be related to the movement is a sense of resentment. I feel that they are fighting so hard for something that has taken a long time to move in a positive direction. It is almost as if member’s resentment is what feeds their strength. They have been the underdog of society for so long. Now it is finally their time to demand for what they believe is acceptable in our society today, and they are finally getting what they have been asking for. So like I said before on an individual level there is a lot of resentment, but on a group level it is their strength that stands out. However, some of the images that the movement tries to use to help their emotional appeal most of the time can be taken in two different ways. The images that are associated with same-sex relationships can either be viewed by someone as beautiful or they can be viewed as disgusting.

However, I do believe the face that the group presents to the public is the same one that is presented to people that the movement sees as potential members. It is a face that is asking for acceptance, and in this particular movement the people that join already feel what the movement feels. It is not like the movement tries to get their members to feel something. It is a very personal movement.

In G&J on page 155 James M. Jasper states, “Emotions are also tied to moral values often arising from perceived infractions of moral rules.” I think that this is a way that the gay rights movement relates to the larger social aspect. Everyone has moral values in which they believe in. However, this can work against the movement as well. Seeing that people have rejected the movement based on their own personal moral values. If they view same-sex relationships as immoral then they are against the movement from the beginning. However, the part of society that is open to any relationship can relate to the movements moral values as well.

There are three dimensions of identity that are discussed in the book: Identity for empowerment, identity as goal, and identity as strategy. I believe that the gay rights movement’s identity is based of the concept of identity as goal. Identity as a goal is described on page 237 by Mary Bernstein as “activists may challenge stigmatized identities, seek recognition for new identities, or deconstruct restrictive social categories as goals of collective action.” The gay rights movement is trying to reconstruct the image of marriage. Not necessarily reconstruct the image of marriage as a whole, but adding another light to it. The movement is “seeking recognition” from society to be viewed as a normal way of life.