Gay-wedding outrage falters in the pews

By Alan Cooperman
The Washington Post

RIC FRANCIS / AP An unidentified gay-pride-parade attendee, right, argues with demonstrators yesterday in West Hollywood, Calif.

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"There's quite a bit of lethargy in the pews," he said. "By and large, it's a lay-down-and-roll-over-and-play-dead attitude."

Evangelical Christians across the country are voicing frustration and puzzlement that there has not been more of a political outcry since May 17, when Massachusetts became the first state to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Evangelical leaders had predicted that a chorus of righteous anger would rise up out of churches from coast to coast and overwhelm Congress with letters, e-mails and phone calls in support of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

That has not happened.

"Standing on Capitol Hill listening, you don't hear anything," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, one of the country's most vigorous Christian advocacy groups.

Perkins and other evangelical leaders contend that the outrage is out there. They say it has not been felt in Washington because defenders of traditional marriage are still in shock, or are focused on winning state constitutional amendments against same-sex marriage, or are distracted by the war in Iraq and other issues.

But a few skeptics on the Christian right, as well as many on the Christian left, are beginning to conclude that there is more fervor for a constitutional amendment in America's pulpits than in its pews. And politicians of both parties say the issue has had less grass-roots sizzle than they had expected.

"So far, it's really been a top-down issue," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a strong opponent of gay marriage who has used his chairmanship of a Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution to hold three hearings on the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment.

Although he is convinced that gay marriage is going to be a "huge" issue, Cornyn said, "what it's going to take is some more bottom-up concern about whether people are losing control of their lives."

Senate Republican leaders have said that they plan to bring the amendment to a vote in mid-July, a move that evangelicals hope will energize supporters even though the amendment appears headed for defeat. Despite President Bush's endorsement, it is at least 15 votes short of the 67 needed for passage in the Senate, congressional staffers said.
 
In the first electoral test of the issue's currency with voters, Democrat Stephanie Herseth narrowly won a special election June 1 for South Dakota's lone congressional seat. Her opponent, Republican Larry Diedrich, tried to make gay marriage a major issue but was "unable to pin (Herseth) down," said Mark Berg, Diedrich's campaign manager.

Herseth's spokesman, Russ Levsen, said she opposes gay marriage but favors civil unions and would support a narrowly drawn constitutional amendment that makes the distinction.

"She gave sort of a nuanced answer, and her opponent claimed she was waffling, but his argument didn't resonate with the voters," Levsen said.

Democratic campaign consultant Bob Doyle said that, like Herseth, most Democratic candidates in this year's tight congressional races in the South and Midwest "have taken this issue off the table" by supporting a constitutional amendment.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, has said that he opposes gay marriage but does not favor a constitutional amendment.

Many evangelicals believe that gay marriage has the potential to galvanize their community as no other issue would, including abortion. But as a "vehicle for mobilization," the push for a constitutional ban has three problems, said John Green, a professor at the University of Akron who studies evangelicals and politics.

First, it runs counter to many conservatives' preference for resolving issues at the state level. Second, it lacks urgency because 39 states, including Washington, have passed laws against same-sex marriage and "are not likely to have gay marriages anytime soon," Green said.

Finally, he said, "as much as evangelicals and other Christians are bothered by gay marriage, it may not be their top priority. Like everybody else, they worry about Iraq and the economy."

Nationally, polls indicate that Americans oppose gay marriage by a 2-to-1 proportion, but the public is evenly split on whether to amend the U.S. Constitution or leave the decision to each state.

Pew Research Center pollster Michael Dimock said it is clear from the surveys that gay marriage is an issue of great intensity to a small number of people, mainly opponents. But, he said, "I have a sneaking suspicion that this is not an issue many people want to stay worked up about. ... You don't hear Bush talking about it very often. He talks about it once every few months, then drops it. ... ."