Brody's Scribbles...A Guest Editorial from Dr. Marty Klein: Mexico City Invites Us; Observe Our “Experiment”

By Dr. Marty Klein (Palo Alto, California) Dec 22 |  With a population of 9 million, Mexico City has more people than 40 of America’s 50 states. It also has more Catholics than any American state except California. In fact, Mexico City is the 2nd largest Catholic city in the world (after Sao Paulo, Brazil).

And it just legalized same-gender marriage.

Mexico, of course, is a conservative, highly traditional country—far more so than the U.S.. And yet, they’re doing something that 100 million Americans find terrifying. Shame on us.

Much of the opposition to same-gender marriage in America is explained by “it will destroy traditional marriage.”

So let’s consider Mexico City yet another opportunity to observe an experiment—let’s see what happens in Mexico City during the next few years. Will their divorce rate increase faster than comparable countries without same-gender marriage? Will more heterosexual spouses have affairs, abandon their families, gamble away the rent money, hit each other?

If not, how can our policy-makers give in to “the gays are coming!” paranoia of some Americans?

Of course, Americans have had this opportunity before—and not just about same-gender marriage (which is already legal in Spain and Canada, with no ill effects observed).

Those Americans panicked about children seeing adult breasts or genitalia can check the results of the European “experiment” with nudity at beaches and on TV (no increase in child molestation or sexual dysfunction). Those Americans panicked about pornography can check the results of Japan’s, Germany’s, and Sweden’s “experiment” with liberalizing restrictions on its availability (no increase in sexual violence).

And those Americans panicked about using science as the basis of public policy rather than religion, superstition, or prejudice can check the results of the “experiment” in Iran, Pakistan, and North Korea.  

Dr. Marty Klein is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Certified Sex Therapist, and sociologist with a special interest in public policy and sexuality. He has written 6 books and over 100 articles about sexuality. Each year he trains thousands of professionals in North America and abroad in clinical skills, human sexuality, and policy issues.
Marty sees men, women, and couples in his Palo Alto office for psychotherapy, couples counseling, and sex therapy.
Each month Marty publishes the electronic newsletter Sexual Intelligence,^TM which examines the sexual implications of current events, politics, technology, popular culture, and the media. For an archive of his original articles, lots of Q/A about sexuality, and other material, see www.SexEd.org.