Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyMarch 23rd, 2011
Today the Colorado Senate held a floor debate on SB 172, civil unions. The main opposition came from Senator Kevin Lundberg who we have video of thanks to The Colorado Channel.
We’ve all heard this myth, recognition of gay relationships in Europe (France & Scandinavia) has caused a breakdown in marriage and “the family unit.”
Here’s a video excerpt of Sen Lundberg saying it:
Of course no statistics were cited because there’s no evidence to support it. In fact this very blog has previously done posts addressing the Scandinavian myth here and here, and Slate.com has a fabulous piece here.
The real data tells a very different story, in most Scandinavian countries marriage has been in decline for up to half a century, long before we pesky gays started publicly demanding equality.
In more recent times those countries have started offering various forms of gay relationship recognition and things have changed in a dramatic way, quoting Slate:
Danish heterosexual marriage rates are now the highest they’ve been since the early 1970’s. And the most recent marriage rates in Sweden, Norway, and Iceland are all higher than the rates for the years before the partner laws were passed. Furthermore, in the 1990s, divorce rates in Scandinavia remained basically unchanged.
Now let’s take a look at births outside of marriage in Norway (source). The date civil unions were enacted is shown with a red triangle:
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How about marriage and divorce rates in the Netherlands? (source) Sorry there’s no red triangle in this one but registered partnerships were enacted in 1998 and full marriage in 2001:
If Senator Lundberg has other data to prove his claim hopefully he’ll present it when the civil unions bill goes for a 3rd reading on the Senate floor tomorrow.
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jafuf
March 24th, 2011
And peoply trust this used car salesman? But then I don’t trust any politician, gay or straight. I mean, I have friends who have met Barney Frank who say he’s a real a–hole.
jafuf
March 24th, 2011
Sorry for the typo. Anyway, this guy makes me ashamed of my Swedish heritage. Hasn’t he ever seen a ‘Scenes from a Marriage’?
Désirée
March 24th, 2011
so where are the people with the real facts who can stand up after this guy and say “you are wrong sir and here are the real facts to show why”
enough already
March 24th, 2011
Don’t confuse me with the facts.
I really do not understand why we don’t see to it that our allies are better prepared to fight these things.
Not that it matters – politicians will either support us because it is in their own interest so to do or they will not, because our enemies have made it clear to them that they have the money to mount successful campaigns against them.
Until we stop fighting among ourselves and start working together, as do those Christians who hate us, we have little chance to change things.
Even though the facts are – and always were – on our side.
nona
March 24th, 2011
Sen. Lundberg is protesting too much.
Bill
March 25th, 2011
Heterosexual Douchebaggery at its finest!
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