SIECUS recently released a special report on this subject titled Legalized Discrimination: The Rise of the Marriage-Promotion Industry and How Federally Funded Programs Discriminate Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth and Families. The special report examines these issues and documents the rise of the federal government's involvement in promoting heterosexual marriage as the only morally acceptable life choice and discriminating against individuals who do not fit that mold. The report follows the money and the under-the-radar convergence of both programs and funding, and looks closely at the conservative social agenda behind these programs and how they legalize discrimination against LGBT individuals, LGBT youth, LGBT parents, and their children.
The rights to love, marry, and form a family unit are fundamental human rights. A couple's decision to form a family and enter into a lasting union, including a legal marriage, should only be commended, supported, and affirmed by society. However, the current marriage-promotion initiatives, carried out with enthusiasm by the Bush administration, exclusively promote heterosexual marriage. They are discriminatory at their very core, threatening the rights of LGBT individuals, youth, and families, and violating basic American values. Sold as public health and social welfare programs, they use billions of federal taxpayer dollars to push a narrow, conservative agenda that promotes heterosexual marriage above all else-above public health, medical opinion, scientific evidence, and basic human rights. Most importantly, they push this policy above what the evidence tells us is the most effective way to help people make healthy life decisions in the long term and ensure that they live full and productive lives.
The federal government's interest in the institution of marriage is not new; however, it has historically had no power to regulate marriage, with the exception of federal territories. Yet, in 1996, the federal government took two unprecedented leaps into the realm of marriage-first by defining it in the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and then by promoting it through the Healthy Marriage Initiative (HMI) and abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.
With the unwavering support of the Bush administration, and more than two billion federal and state dollars over the past quarter century, groups dedicated to promoting marriage have become more than a community of individual organizations with a shared goal. Well-funded marriage-promotion and abstinence-only-until-marriage programs have become a cornerstone of the social conservative agenda and a major priority for this administration. The groups that provide and support these programs now represent a full-fledged industry that is ostensibly aimed at preventing teen pregnancy, but in reality promotes the ideology of heterosexual marriage in schools. These programs serve to stigmatize and demean LGBT youth and leave them, and all youth, woefully unprepared to make healthy decisions in their life.
Marriage promotion was sold as a solution to poverty and the problems facing children in single-parent families. However, if the genuine motivation behind these programs was to increase the number of children raised by two parents, why did the architects of this industry not include gay and lesbian families in the messaging and services offered? Similarly, if the genuine motivation was to limit the number of children and families living in poverty, why wouldn't the government end the perpetuation of regulations that unfairly financially penalize same-sex families? Instead, the government has made life for young people in gay and lesbian families more difficult by deliberately discriminating against them through the messages and curricula used by these programs.
Whether it is an abstinence-only-until-marriage program that has high school students planning their future wedding, or a marriage education program for unwed couples, the government's message is clear-heterosexual marriage is the only appropriate adult relationship. By promoting marriage, assuming heterosexuality, disparaging non-traditional families, and spreading fear, shame, and inaccurate information about sexual orientation, marriage-promotion programs, particularly abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, assert that LGBT individuals and relationships are unhealthy and morally inferior. The overt biases and assumptions of these programs enforce an intolerant and destructive concept of sexual orientation.
The social science research shows that it is simply not true that only married, heterosexual couples can successfully raise children. The wellbeing of all children is dependent upon being loved, nurtured, supported, and cared for . The qualities of good parenting are not dictated by sexual orientation or martial status. Just as growing up in a household led by two heterosexual, married parents does not ensure that a child will become a happy, productive member of society, neither does growing up in a family of another form ensure he or she will not.
Privileging families headed by married heterosexual couples over those led by single parents, LGBT parents, and unmarried heterosexual couples, and the possibility that children would be denied services and life-saving information based on the make-up of their families, is an egregious statement about the American government and our society. The federal government ought not to be in the business of funding far-right groups to promote one family structure. They should not dictate specific marriage programs nor should they be directly involved in offering programs that promote marriage, whether or not same-sex couples are able to marry legally. They need to end these discriminatory practices and the waste of taxpayer money that is fueling the marriage-promotion industry. Policymakers need to end the Healthy Marriage Initiative and all funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. They should not legalize or legitimize discrimination by choosing to assist the children of heterosexual married couples over those who grow up in single-parent households or are raised by LGBT parents. Instead, it should extend government benefits to meet the needs of all families.
Finally, policymakers should be solely concerned with funding programs based on the best evidence and research available. They should focus on such programs as comprehensive sexuality education and safe school initiatives that respect the values and choices of all families, and allow families to define that term for themselves.
]]>View the full publication of "Legalized Discrimination: The Rise of the Marriage-Promotion Industry and How Federally-Funded Programs Discriminate Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth and Families" here.
Jen Heitel Yakush is Public Policy Associate at SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the Untied States
In early June 2006, just over 200 organizations launched No More Money in an effort to stop funding for harmful and ideologically driven abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. The list of supporting organizations, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, has now reached close to 300 and ranges from HIV/AIDS organizations to pro-choice organizations, from organizations committed to GLBT rights to organizations committed to disability rights, and from education organizations to medical, scientific, and public health organizations. The Campaign exists because over $1 billion has thus far been spent on these programs. The medical community has never supported these programs and polling consistently shows that the American public agrees that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are failing our nation's young people and that government funding spent on these ideologically driven programs is a waste of valuable resources and the wrong direction for health education.
]]>Jen Heitel Yakush is Public Policy Associate at SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the Untied States
In early June 2006, just over 200 organizations launched No More Money in an effort to stop funding for harmful and ideologically driven abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. The list of supporting organizations, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, has now reached close to 300 and ranges from HIV/AIDS organizations to pro-choice organizations, from organizations committed to GLBT rights to organizations committed to disability rights, and from education organizations to medical, scientific, and public health organizations. The Campaign exists because over $1 billion has thus far been spent on these programs. The medical community has never supported these programs and polling consistently shows that the American public agrees that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are failing our nation's young people and that government funding spent on these ideologically driven programs is a waste of valuable resources and the wrong direction for health education.
Support for these programs has even waned on Capitol Hill, as a more comprehensive and medically accurate approach is being sought by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The No More Money Campaign aims to seize on this momentum and move the agenda forward until these programs no longer receive a penny of federal funding.
In 2001, a similar group of organizations asked for No New Money for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. Since the campaign launched, partners worked collectively in requesting that Congress provide "No New Money" to abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. Essentially, this meant asking Congress to "hold the line" by not increasing funding levels. Since then, our collective efforts in Congress have brought forward new champions and a larger group of policymakers who support an evidence-based, public health approach to sexuality education. Based on the success of the No New Money Campaign and the changing attitudes in the general public and on Capitol Hill, the original organizations decided the tide had turned and it was time for us to make the demand we had all wanted to for years-No More Money for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs..
Since the original campaign launched, we have learned even more about the failings of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. Not only do these programs contain biased and medically inaccurate information that is harming young people but Americans overwhelmingly don't want these programs taught to their youth. Instead, they want comprehensive sexuality education-education that discusses abstinence and contraception, including other topics-to be part of their child's in-school education. For the past five years, a wealth of evidence has accumulated against abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. For example, a 2004 report released by Representative Henry Waxman's found that 11 out of 13 of the most commonly used federally funded curricula contained gross medical inaccuracies. In addition, not one sound study exists proving these programs are effective or have long-term beneficial impact on young people's sexual behavior. Now that it is clear that there is no sound research supporting these programs, no support in the public health community, and no support by the American people, we are asking Congress to stop funding these harmful programs.
For far too long, these harmful programs have gone unchecked, allowing ideologically driven lawmakers to pour millions of taxpayer dollars into these programs. The No More Money Campaign is leading the charge and giving advocates the tools to change all that.
The No More Money Campaign website serves as a central clearinghouse for the basic information that most activists and media outlets need and as a central point for national advocacy efforts around key events and gives activists the opportunity to email Members of Congress and the President demanding no more money for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs domestically and internationally.
Earlier this year, No More Money partners sent sign-on letters to Congress in advance of their decisions on spending levels for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. In the past three months, since the launch of the Campaign, individuals have already sent almost 3,000 messages to Congress letting them know that they do not want their taxpayer dollars spent on these harmful and ideologically driven programs. As a result, this year marks the first time, since 1999, that the Senate and House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Subcommittees with jurisdiction over abstinence-only-until-marriage funding decided to flat fund the accounts that support abstinence-only-until-marriage programs-that is, they received the same amount of funding as last year!
The real goal of the No More Money campaign is to empower people to take action and help turn the tide away from abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. The real question, however, remains: Will policymakers truly listen to the American public? We'll need to wait till later this fall when Congress finalizes the Labor-HHS Appropriations bill. In the mean time, go to www.NoMoreMoney.org and take action by telling your Senators and Representative that you do not want one more dollar spent on these programs.
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Would you like more information or are you interested in signing on as a supporter of the No More Money Campaign? Please contact Jen Heitel Yakush at jheitel@siecus.org with your organization's name and contact information to join. You can also view the full list of supporting organizations.
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