Stanley N. Kurtz

According to Stanley N. Kurtz in the following viewpoint, the main reason that marriage is defined as the union between one man and one woman is because the qualities that are specific to each gender complement each other, which leads to social stability. Homosexual relationships lack the complementarity of the sexes, he argues, and therefore are unlikely to conform to the pattern of traditional marriage. Specifically, if gays are allowed to marry, the sexually “open” nature of their relationships would undermine the marriage institution by weakening monogamy, the glue that holds marriages together, in Kurtz’s opinion. Kurtz is an anthropologist and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Why does William J. Bennett believe that homosexuals would undermine marriage?
2. According to...