The past month has brought some welcome encouragement to advocates of equal rights for gay couples. Last week Maine became the fifth state to legalize same-sex marriage. New Hampshire could be next. Moreover, Iowa's Supreme Court ruling in April showed that this is not a liberal east coast movement: it has reached the heartland and will not stop there. Why won't the legalization of same-sex marriage be confined to a few liberal states? Because the arguments against gay marriage do not resonate with the vast majority of Next Geners. Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal recently blocked an amendment to reverse the ruling of the state supreme court. In his statement defending his move, he quoted his Next Gen daughter. She had been listening to some pale, male, and stale gentlemen as they discussed gay marriage and she said, "You guys don't understand. You've already lost. My generation doesn't care." And she's right. The next generation is unwilling to accept the tired arguments of past generations. So what does the next generation care about? Tolerance. Equality.
For more thoughts on diversity in our communities, check out Rebecca Ryan's video on the Social Capital Index.
