Sound of shifting
ground
EDITORIAL, USATODAY,
from the Web, December 22, 2005
Cultural shifts can be hard to
document. But sometimes they crystallize around an event. That
seemed to be the case Wednesday as flamboyant rock star Elton John, 58, became
one of the first people to take advantage of a new British law allowing same-sex
couples to enter into civil unions.
John and longtime partner David Furnish, a 43-year-old Canadian, had their union
made official at Windsor's Guildhall — where Prince Charles and Camilla Parker
Bowles married in April. Any doubt about broad British acceptance of civil
unions, which give the same legal rights as marriage does, was dispelled by
London's tabloid press, which prides itself on having a finger on the nation's
pulse.
With the headline "Elton's 'wedding' sealed with a kiss," the Daily Mail
typified the warm coverage. Twenty years ago, such a celebration would
have been unthinkable. Britain joins more than a dozen countries
recognizing some form of civil union. Five, including Canada, have
legalized gay marriage.
In the USA, the political debate over gay marriage — in which religious
conservatives have pushed for a constitutional ban — has obscured a similar
broad cultural shift.
A new Hollywood movie about two gay cowboys — Brokeback Mountain — might
become a marker of that shift, if not as starkly as Sir Elton's civil union.
Brokeback Mountain, based on an Annie Proulx novella, has already
garnered high praise from critics and seven Golden Globe nominations. In
its limited release so far, it has been a box office hit. Its breakthrough
appeal is that it is a poignant love story, one in which the characters happen
to be gay. A similar trend has been seen on TV for the past few years.
In polls, most Americans oppose gay marriage but are far more accepting of civil
unions, sometimes with a slim majority. State laws are all over the map.
Massachusetts allows gay marriage. A handful of states accept or are
considering allowing civil partnerships; others have moved in the opposite
direction.
Last year, running for re-election, and with a keen awareness of the broader
public mood, President Bush parted ways with the Republican platform: "I
don't think we should deny people rights to a civil union," he said. Sir
Elton would no doubt agree that such rights are part of what Philadelphia
freedom is all about.
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