Supporting marriage is not a popular stance for millennials to take today.
If one is under 30 and a supporter of natural marriage, automatically they are labeled a “bigot,” “homophobe” or “fascist.”
Many in our generation--thanks to the influence of Hollywood and pop culture--support the idea of “marriage equality.” Indeed, this is touted as the hip thing to do. If millennials do not get on the bandwagon, they will be ostracized by their peers.
This begs the question: what happened to respecting difference of opinion, oh-so tolerant crowd?
Although public opinion might favor the “marriage equality” view at this time, proponents of marriage should not give up hope.
Young conservative podcaster RJ Moeller recently wrote a column in American Spectator saying proponents of marriage should not be deterred or disheartened by the “inevitability” of the redefinition of marriage.
Moeller writes, “But this whole “inevitability” argument for why those of us who believe marriage is an important institution — one worth defending, whatever the prevailing cultural sentiments may be — should shut up and stand aside strikes me as underwhelming and something less than compelling.”
Since our society is greatly influenced by pop culture, support for marriage is now counter cultured.
It is time to better market marriage to our generation. As millennials, we must make marriage relevant again as an institution. As millennials, we must use social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to get our message out there. As millennials, we must tap into entertainment to promote marriage.
Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint reaffirmed the importance of marriage in society during his CPAC 2013 speech. He said, “We cannot hope to limit government if we do not stand up for our core civil society institutions, beginning with marriage.”
DeMint also stressed the importance of sound conservatism by saying, “Strong families, churches and voluntary institutions build strong character and economic independence. And government must always remember we are endowed by our creator with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
That being said, millennials must make the moral case for marriage in society.
One group catering to millennials is Marriage Generation. The group desires to encourage a culture that promotes the meaning and enduring value of marriage among millennials.
Marriage Generation’s Chris Marlink said in an email that marriage can make a comeback if millennials begin to dominate the conversation.
He wrote, “Our generation has reaped all the heartache of the sexual revolution, abortion on demand and no-fault divorce. If we want to spare our children and future generations that heartache, then we need to restore a right understanding of what marriage actually is. This is the work of lifetimes, not election cycles. It is our hope that Marriage Generation plays a role in getting the conversation going.”
One millennial making the moral and rational case for marriage is Heritage Foundation fellow Ryan T. Anderson. Anderson-- co-author of “What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense”-- has demonstrated that millennials can make the case for marriage in a calm and intelligent manner, especially when debating individuals like Piers Morgan. We must look to him and other experts for guidance.
The cause of marriage attracts people from all walks of life – young or old; female or male; gay or straight; white, black, Asian or Hispanic; married or unmarried; religious or nonreligious. Our generation still holds traditional values to be true. No calls for ‘inevitability’ or endless bullying from the “tolerance” crowd will deter us from making the moral case for marriage.
Winston Churchill famously said, “Never, never, never give up.”
To my fellow millennials: I implore you to not give up on marriage. It is an uphill battle, but it is not a lost cause. Be relentless, be strong, and be optimistic. And remember -- never, never, never give up!