posted on 2024-07-11, 18:59authored byPeter Robinson
This paper considers arguments on the merits of legalising gay relationships in the light of qualitative data collected from interviews with 97 gay men. Interviews were collected from men aged 19–87 who were recruited in nine major cities: Auckland, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Manchester, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York, and Sydney. I made contact with many of the interviewees through personal introductions and also Internet links. The interviews occurred between July 2009 and March 2011 and took place in all nine cities, as well as a small group of men I interviewed on Skype. Sixty-two men or almost two-thirds of this international sample said they were in favour of formal recognition of same-sex relationships, including gay marriage. Analysis of these men’s views showed that men aged 51 or older more likely to oppose gay marriage than younger men. The older men who opposed gay marriage tended to argue that it was a concession to heteronormativity and that gay culture has become too mainstream in a ‘family values’ way. The young men who argued in favour of gay marriage drew on two principal narratives, namely (a) relational and legal/property equality, and (b) recognition of relationship success. One minor theme in evidence was support for gay marriage as a continuation of some men’s involvement in the gay liberation project.