Straight Couples Getting Kinky? Blame Gay Marriage.

When Mark Regnerus, an
associate professor of sociology at the University of Texas at
Austin, published a study in 2012 claiming that the children of gay
parents are worse off than the children of straight parents he was
heavily criticized for his poor methodology (read about the
problems
here, as it’s too complicated to easily summarize). While most
critics were unhappy with standards he used to contrast gay parents
versus straight parents, I noted at the time he had some odd ideas
about what counts as having “worse” experiences. He classified
having more sexual partners and smoking marijuana as among the
negative things children of gay parents may experience. While lots
of sex and marijuana use could potentially become damaging
experiences, their inclusion as inherent negatives didn’t exactly
seem sociologically sound.

It seems that sort of judgment is not an anomaly. Jeremy Hooper,
over at gay blog “Good As You,”
took note of a recent speech by Regnerus at the Franciscan
University of Steubenville, Ohio. A portion of his speech is
devoted to explaining how it’s gay marriage’s fault if straight men
start to stray or get kinky, as gay men, even in committed
relationships, are statistically less likely to be monogamous and
are accepting of this. And then, I guess, straight men are going to
see this and want it, too. And this, Regnerus says, is what will
happen:

If gay marriage is perceived as legitimate by heterosexual
women, it will eventually embolden boyfriends everywhere and not a
few husbands to press for what men have always historically wanted
but were rarely allowed – sexual novelty, in the form of permission
to stray without jeopardizing their primary relationship.
 Discussion of openness in sexual partners in straight
marriages will become more common, just as the practice of
heterosexual anal sex got a big boost from the normalization of gay
men’s sexual behavior in both contemporary porn and the American
imagination. It may be spun as empowering women, but it sure won’t
… sure doesn’t feel that way.

Is Regnerus saying that gay sex is now a normal thing that pops
up in the imaginations of heterosexual Americans now? Is that true?
Are you thinking about it right now? Did I cause you to think about
it by asking you if you’re thinking about it?

The whole Regnerus speech can be watched here for those
inclined. Note that these arguments again feed into the idea of
society as caretakers of women’s sexuality and the assumption that
women cannot make appropriate decisions for themselves. I mentioned
this when
analyzing the arguments the state of Utah has put forth to
defend its ban on gay marriage recognition (which included
references to Regnerus’ study). The primary arguments presented
were all about making sure heterosexual women got strong messages
from the state to get married and have children so that we don’t
run out of humans.