For better or worse: Exploring the meanings of same-sex marriage within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community

Abstract

This study examines how gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) men and women assign meaning to legally recognized same-sex marriage and its impact on their understanding of the LGBT community. Open-ended web-based survey questions asked participants ( N = 288) to consider the ways in which legally recognizing same-sex marriage may positively and negatively affect the LGBT community. The understanding of legally recognized same-sex marriage that emerges is multilayered, with an overarching theme of equality forming a surface over deeper dialectical themes describing tensions in the perceived influence of same-sex marriage on same-sex romantic relationships, the LGBT community, and the relationship between the LGBT community and heterosexual others. The findings of the study suggest that same-sex marriage should be considered as a context for all future discussions of married and unmarried same-sex partnerships.