David Frum

In 2000, Vermont conferred all the rights and privileges of marriage to homosexual couples by legalizing “civil unions.” In the following viewpoint, David Frum argues that the Vermont legislature forced acceptance of gay marriage on the rest of the country. Frum maintains that gay marriage threatens the institution of marriage by changing it from a stable union between a man and a woman to an unstable and temporary agreement between consenting parties. Frum is a columnist for the National Post, a contributing editor for the Weekly Standard, and the author of Dead Right.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the author, why is Vermont’s constitution difficult to alter?
2. What did the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act decree, as stated by the author?
3. According to Frum, why will same-sex unions make...