A reader writes:
J. Peter Nixon hints at something significant in his
Sitting in church, you might notice that there are few if any families with seven or more children, but you can't really be certain who is using contraception. You can't tell if any of the women in the pews had an abortion. You can, if you want, continue to believe that only other people get abortions. Unless people go out of their way to inform others, their use of contraception and abortion are hidden. People opposed to birth control and/or abortion aren't forced to reconcile their opposition with the reality that many of the people they know have used (or use) contraception or have had abortions.
But same-sex couples? There's no pretending that they don't exist among us, in our families, our workplaces, and our neighborhoods. The closet helped perpetuate this fiction. Marriage equity explodes it. And this points to the dilemma faced by Dolan and others opposed to marriage equity: They won't be able to avoid the hard work of having to reconcile their public opposition to same-sex marriage and the cousin, niece, or nephew who is going to marry a same-sex partner.
(Photo: Christina Careaga (R) and Hannah Thielmann kiss as they celebrate during the Gay Pride parade on June 26, 2011 in New York City. The parade took on extra significance following Friday night's legalization of same-sex marriage in New York, often regarded as the birthplace of the gay rights movement. By Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The Dish 