It is curious that the Christian Right is so antagonistic towards homosexuals. Gays are a relatively small minority in society and can pose little threat to Christianity or Christians' lives. It is difficult to fathom, then, what it is that they fear so much. What do they imagine will happen if gays have the same rights as everyone else?

In Civil Wars: A Battle for Gay Marriage, David Moats writes about a debate in Rutland, Vermont, over whether the local library should remove from its shelves a children's book dealing with homosexuality:

William Meub, a Rutland lawyer who later ran unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate for governor and for Congress, told the board the real issue was one of fear. Parents fear they are losing control over their children, he said. But fear should not be allowed to govern our selection of books at the library. “Fear in the enemy of freedom,” he said.

For religious fundamentalists, fear of modernity has taken many forms. In the early part of the century, Christian fundamentalism received its impetus from fear of the way that history and science had begun to provide a view of human origins and biblical history that challenged the literal word of the Bible. ... In the latter part of the century, the fear of sexual freedom and new stresses on the family had put sex at the center of the battle between religious fundamentalists and the modern world.

Much of Christian fundamentalism appears directed very specifically against various aspects of modernity: modern science, modern social institutions, modern gender roles, etc. Modern gender roles, though, seem to be the most important. There is significant evidence that the earliest fundamentalists were motivated most of all by the development of gender roles in America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Times have changed, but in many way circumstances have not. Modern America continues to experience conflict over the proper roles of women in the family, in the workplace, and in general society. Homosexuality is relevant here because it appears that gay men are perceived as a threat to the social status and roles of straight men. A man who defines himself and constructs his identity around not being like a woman and possessing traditional masculine traits will have difficulty when presented with a man who rejects those stereotypes.

Countering such stereotypes would certainly be helpful; even more important, however, would be to encourage the changes in gender roles. The traditional roles supported by Christian fundamentalists are more detrimental than helpful to society; in the long run, America will be far better off the more equal the involvement of both men and women in society can be.

 

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