The Gay Marriage Generation: How the LGBTQ Movement Transformed American Culture

by Peter Hart-Brinson

Overview

The generational and social thinking changes that caused an unprecedented shift toward support for gay marriage

How did gay marriage—something unimaginable two decades ago—come to feel inevitable to even its staunchest opponents? Drawing on over 95 interviews with two generations of Americans, as well as historical analysis and public opinion data, Peter Hart-Brinson argues that a fundamental shift in our understanding of homosexuality sparked the generational change that fueled gay marriage’s unprecedented rise. Hart-Brinson shows that the LGBTQ movement’s evolution and tactical responses to oppression caused Americans to reimagine what it means to be gay and what gay marriage would mean to society at large. While older generations grew up imagining gays and lesbians in terms of their behavior, younger generations came to understand them in terms of their identity. Over time, as the older generation and their ideas slowly passed away, they were replaced by a new generational culture that brought gay marriage to all fifty states.

Through revealing interviews, Hart-Brinson explores how different age groups embrace, resist, and create society’s changing ideas about gay marriage. Religion, race, contact with gay people, and the power of love are all topics that weave in and out of these fascinating accounts, sometimes influencing opinions in surprising ways. The book captures a wide range of voices from diverse social backgrounds at a critical moment in the culture wars, right before the turn of the tide. The story of gay marriage’s rapid ascent offers profound insights about how the continuous remaking of the population through birth and death, mixed with our personal, biographical experiences of our shared history and culture, produces a society that is continually in flux and constantly reinventing itself anew.

An intimate portrait of social change with national implications, The Gay Marriage Generation is a significant contribution to our understanding of what causes generational change and how gay marriage became the reality in the United States.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781479868094
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Peter Hart-Brinson is Associate Professor of Sociology and Communication/Journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Table of Contents

Introduction: From Nonsense to Common Sense in a Generation 1

1 Imagining Generations and Social Change 11

2 Contesting Homosexuality's Imagination, 1945-2015 36

3 The Evolution of Public Opinion about Gay Marriage 72

4 Young and Old in the Cross Fire of the Culture Wars 96

5 The Imagination and Attribution of Homosexuality 129

6 The Imaginary Marriage Consensus 163

7 Narratives of Attitude Change and Resistant Subcultures 189

Conclusion: Moving beyond Generational Mythology 213

Acknowledgments 229

Appendix: Studying Public Opinion with Qualitative Interview Methods 231

Notes 243

Bibliography 267

Index 285

About the Author 293

Editorial Reviews

"Public opinion typically changes slowly. The transformation in Americans views regarding same-sex marriage is a notable exceptionwith public opinion dramatically shifting from strong opposition to strong support in a very short period of time. How do we explain this remarkable exception? Marshalling insights from historical data, national surveys, and in-depth interviews, Peter Hart-Brinson skillfully and convincingly documents the powerful role of generations in effecting change. The Gay Marriage Generation is an important and provocative book that will encourage us to reassess our assumptions of how social change occurs."

Brian Powell

"There is much to learn from this book and Hart-Brinson is meticulous in laying out and supporting his arguments."

Social Forces

"At the very moment attitudes toward gay marriage began to change rapidly, Peter Hart-Brinson interviewed people from multiple generations to assess the shifting meanings surrounding gay marriage. While quantitative studies allow us to track these changing attitudes in a simplistic way, most barely scratch the surface of what remains a complex issue for many. With his insightful analysis of his qualitative data, Hart-Brinson breaks through this surface and does a deep dive into the metaphors people use to think about gay marriage. In doing so, he helps us to understand why resistance to gay marriage remains steadfast, even in the face of growing consensus."

Thomas J. Linneman

"Will be an interesting and enlightening read for those both new and old to the topic."

American Journal of Sociology

"The book provides an interesting glimpse into [Hart-Brinson’s] 95 interview subjects’ lives, attitudes, and milieu. He also offers tables, charts, and graphs to reveal changes in public opinion over the decades."

The Gay & Lesbian Quarterly