Abstract
Experiencing Same-Sex Marriage presents author Pamela Lannutti’s research findings on the impact of marriage laws and policies on LGBT individuals’ romantic relationships and accompanying changes in their interactions with close friends, family, and acquaintances. The original studies, compiled and elaborated in this volume, were published prior to the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the USA. At the time Lannutti conducted these studies, few states had marriage equality laws in place. Using a communication concepts theoretical frame, Lannutti examines the positive and negative effects of marriage equality and marriage restrictions on same-sex couples and the social networks in which they are embedded. She concludes that marriage equality is accompanied by contradictory emotional and social experiences including feeling validated and vulnerable, experiencing family support and contempt, and desiring marriage equality while objecting to the inherent symbolism of the institution. Same-sex couples also experienced changes such as a desire for security (e.g. financial, medical, legal protections), strengthening their relationship, and social recognition.
Five of the seven chapters in the book present results from Lannutti’s original studies, supplemented by discussion of related findings in the social science literature. Seven of her own qualitative studies illustrate the impact of legalization of same-sex marriage and the challenges LGBT individuals face when deciding whether to marry or not. The majority of studies were conducted with samples of couples living in states that had legalized same-sex marriage (e.g. Massachusetts), while one study examined experiences of couples living in states with recent marriage restriction amendments. These studies use a range of qualitative methodologies, which are briefly described at the end of the book. For a full discussion of methodology, readers should reference the original studies that are published in well-respected academic journals.
While the author focuses on the impact of marriage equality and marriage restriction laws on same-sex couple relationships, she also examines the impact on the LGBT community. Couples’ personal views of the institution of marriage and their decisions to marry or not marry, reactions from close friends and family, and obstacles to marriage provide a holistic picture of the relational dialectic between macro-level policies and policy debates and micro- and meso-level relationships among individuals, couples, and social networks. Lannutti’s chapter on the marriage experiences of bisexual lesbian partners and older same-sex couples, two groups that have been neglected in the literature, is a particularly welcome contribution.
Since federal marriage equality laws were enacted after the publication of Experiencing Same-Sex Marriage, this volume serves as a historical account of same-sex couple relationships poised on the brink of obtaining full marriage equality. What we know subsequent to marriage equality is that stigma and heterosexism have yet to be eradicated. Same-sex couples’ decisions about marriage still occur in a social context of stigma, and that reality continues to shape their decision-making process as revealed by Lannutti’s research. The questions she addresses about the impact of marriage policies on relationship expectations and feelings of security remain relevant in our current political climate of uncertainty. Across multiple studies, Lannutti demonstrates the connection between marriage equality, feelings of relationship stability, relationship communication, and changes in social network interactions that would be impacted by improbable, but not implausible, reversals in marriage equality.
Study limitations to bear in mind include sample restrictions. Five of the seven studies recruited residents of Massachusetts, a primarily liberal and majority White state. Residents of conservative states may have reported different experiences from those presented in this book. While the inclusive term ‘LGBT’ is used throughout the book, none of Lannutti’s studies appear to include transgender-identified individuals (although one study does include a combined category of ‘queer/transgender’). Since the majority of participants identified as White, her findings should not be generalized to racial and ethnic minorities. There is also a lack of discussion of unique challenges facing urban versus rural same-sex couples. While not an inclusive work on the impact of marriage laws on LGBT-identified couples, Lannutti’s work provides a framework for future research with more diverse samples. Especially important is research that builds on her work to test health-related outcomes.
Overall, Experiencing Same-Sex Marriage provides a relevant overview of the experiences of some same-sex couples as marriage equality became a reality. Expanding on existing same-sex couple literature, Lannutti brings the perspective of social networks and communication theory to our understanding of the effects of macro-level policy on couple relationships. This book will help to inspire and educate a broad range of social scientists who are interested in same-sex couples and the effects of policy.