Andrew Sullivan

In the following viewpoint, Andrew Sullivan argues that excluding same-sex couples from the right to marry is a violation of homosexuals’ civil rights. Furthermore, he contends that same-sex marriage would promote monogamy and stability among all couples, and therefore strengthen the institution of marriage. Sullivan is the former editor of the New Republic, a magazine of politics and culture.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the author, what is the Federal Marriage Amendment?
2. How did heterosexuals change marriage in the 1970s, as stated by Sullivan?
3. Why do conservatives think that gay men threaten the institution of marriage, as related by the author?

In the decade or so in which same-sex marriage has been a matter of public debate, several arguments against it have been abandoned. Some opponents initially claimed marriage was...