Thursday, during the federal trial to
decide the constitutionality of Proposition 8, a judge heard that gay
marriage bans send the message that gay relationships are not
respected, and that this message creates emotional stress for gay
couples.
On the fourth day of the trial in San
Francisco, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker heard testimony
from Columbia University Professor Ilan Meyer, a social scientist who
spoke on the mental health impact of discrimination against gay men
and lesbians.
The trial began on Monday with the
emotional testimony of a gay and a lesbian couple, each of which has
been denied the right to marry in California because of Proposition
8, the gay marriage ban approved by voters in 2008.
When asked about the impact of the
measure on gay couples, Meyer responded: “It certainly doesn't send
a message, 'It's OK, you can be who you want to be.' It sends the
opposite message.”
Such measures erect a barrier to a
“desirable and respected” institution, he said, adding to the
social stigma that leaves gay people more susceptible to mental
health problems, including depression, suicide and substance abuse.
“People in our society have goals
that are cherished by all people, that are part of the social
convention,” Meyer said. “We are all raised to think there are
certain things we want to achieve in life, and this Proposition 8
says if you are gay or lesbian, you cannot achieve this particular
goal.”
Upon cross-examination Meyer was forced
to admit that he is a “gay-affirmative advocate” and gave to the
campaign against Proposition 8 twice.
Lawyers for the defense took their time
looking for vulnerabilities in Meyer's testimony. They insisted the
professor's research on minority stress is hopelessly flawed, they
read excerpts from conflicting scholarly papers, and Howard Nielson
Jr. finally pushed Meyer to concede that no research is perfect.
Earlier Thursday, Edmund Egan, an
economist for the city of San Francisco, testified that the gay
marriage ban cost the city millions of dollars a year in lost
revenue.
“To put it simply … married
individuals tend to accumulate more wealth than single individuals,”
Egan said, then added that married people are healthier, which
increases overall productivity, which in turn boosts payroll tax
revenues.
The trial resumes Friday with the
testimony of William Tam, a controversial Proposition 8 proponent who
alleged that gay marriage advocates also supported the legalization
of sex with children, and Helen Zia, a lesbian who married her
partner during the brief window when gay marriage was legal in
California.