Gay marriage
同性恋婚姻
The guys next door
邻家有gay
May 22nd 2008 | PALM SPRINGS
From The Economist print edition
2008年5月22日 | 棕榈泉
摘自《经济学家》印刷版
California’s highest court has revived a bitter dispute over gay marriage. But the fight will be different this time
加州高法再燃同性恋婚姻烽烟，然而战况将有所不同
LATER this year Harvey Stern plans to marry another man in Palm Springs[1] town hall. A wedding strikes him as the appropriate way to solemnise a 25-year relationship-and besides, it is about time his straight friends gave him some presents. Does he think that local people will be alarmed by the prospect of a gay wedding? Not really, he says. Anybody who has lived in Palm Springs for the past few years is probably expecting it.
哈维·斯特恩计划今年下半年在棕榈泉市政厅结婚，对象也是一位男士。斯特恩认为用一场婚礼来庆祝和纪念他们长达25年的伴侣关系是再合适不过，而且也该轮到他的异性恋朋友们给他送结婚贺礼了。本地人会对一场即将到来的同性恋婚礼感到惊恐不安吗？斯特恩说不会。过去几年里在棕榈泉生活过的人们可能都盼着这一天呢。
Mr Stern’s plans have come together since May 15th, when California’s Supreme Court ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Although the state is the second, after Massachusetts, to permit gay weddings, last week’s ruling is especially far-reaching. Unlike Massachusetts, California will marry couples from other states. Gavin Newsom, who set the court case in motion by opening San Francisco’s city hall to same-sex marriages in 2004, declared that California was once again leading the nation.
斯特恩的婚礼计划于5月15日成形，当日加利福尼亚最高法庭裁决对同性恋婚姻的禁令违宪。尽管马萨诸塞州已经率先许可同性恋结婚，加州仅居第二，但加州高法上周的裁决之效力却殊为广泛。与麻省不同，加州将为来自其他州的同性恋伴侣办理结婚。加文•纽瑟姆–正是此君2004年向同性婚姻开放旧金山市市政厅的举动引发了这一讼案，宣称加州再次成为了民族先锋。
Or perhaps California will once again lead the backlash. The court’s ruling revives memories of 2004, when the Massachusetts decision and Mr Newsom’s act of civil disobedience fired up a conservative army. That year a flurry of ballot initiatives banning gay marriages ended up on general-election ballots across America. Many observers, including Dianne Feinstein, California’s senior senator, blamed high right-wing turnout for George Bush’s victory over John Kerry. 本文拒绝Ecosky.cn转载本
或许加州将再次成为”造反先锋”。加州高法的裁决让人们回想起2004年。当时麻省高法的判决和纽瑟姆的非暴力抵抗举动激起了一支暴怒的保守派大军；而一系列针对禁止同性恋婚姻议案的投票最终影响了美国大选的结果。包括加州资深参议员戴安·范因斯坦在内的许多观察家都把布什在大选中击败克里归罪于右翼民众的高投票率。
A few are hoping for a repeat this year. James Dobson[2], the head of Focus on the Family, a conservative Protestant group, spluttered that the ruling was “judicial tyranny”. He called on Californians to ban same-sex marriage, as 26 other states have done. They should get the chance: next month an initiative that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman will almost certainly be approved for November’s ballot. A similar measure will appear in Florida. Both sides are preparing for a nasty fight. Yet there are several reasons to think that the dispute will play out differently this time.
一些人希望2004年的故事能在今年重演。新教保守团体“爱家”的首脑詹姆斯·杜布森气急败坏，将加州高法的裁决斥为”司法暴行”。他号召加州人效法另26个州，禁止同性婚姻。这些人好像也有可能让故事重演–下个月将确定是否把将婚姻定义为一男一女的结合的议案放入11月的大选，几乎可以肯定是会的。佛罗里达也将有类似的立法提案。双方皆蓄势而发，一场恶斗近在眼前。然而我们有理由认为今年上演的戏码会有所不同。
The first is that Mr Dobson is wrong. The drive for gay marriage in California has not been led by judges. The state legislature has twice passed bills recognising same-sex marriages; both bills were vetoed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor, who argued that the issue ought to be resolved by the courts. Although California has plenty of Christian conservatives, they are less tightly bound to the Republican Party than in other states. Gavin Newsom[3], by far California’s most influential pastor, strives to appear non-partisan.
首先是杜布森怪错了人。加州同性恋婚姻运动的领导者并不是法官。加州议会曾先后两次通过议案认可同性婚姻合法，均遭州长施瓦辛格否决，理由是这个问题应当由法院解决。尽管加州有着大批的基督教保守派，但与其他州的情况不同，他们和共和党的联系要相对松散。加州目前最具影响力的牧师里克·沃伦也尽力保持党派中立。
And Republicans are hardly presenting a united front against gay marriage this year. Although John McCain opposes it, he says the issue ought to be left to the states. Mr Schwarzenegger promises to uphold the decision of the state Supreme Court (which is, incidentally, dominated by Republicans). Last summer Jerry Sanders, the Republican mayor of San Diego, tearfully announced that his daughter was a lesbian and that he could no longer oppose same-sex marriage.
其次共和党内部今年在同性恋婚姻问题上没能结成统一战线。麦凯恩尽管反对同性恋婚姻，但仍表示这一问题应当由各州解决。施瓦辛格则承诺支持最高法院的裁决（顺便提一下，加州高法席位正是他所在的共和党占优）。圣迭戈的共和党市长杰里·桑德斯去年夏天含泪宣布，他女儿是同性恋者，他不能再继续反对同性婚姻了。
Another big difference is that, assuming the court does not suspend its own ruling, gay weddings will begin next month in places like Palm Springs. The town, which is represented by a Republican congresswoman, a Republican state senator and a Republican assemblywoman, is not easily caricatured as a liberal enclave. It is also increasingly typical of gay America.
另一个重大区别在于，假若加州高法不延缓执行其裁决，棕榈泉等地的同性恋婚礼就将于下月开始举行。棕榈泉走出过一位共和党国会女议员、一位共和党州参议院议员和一位共和党众议院女议员，很难被夸张描绘成一块”自由飞地”。它正越来越典型地代表着美国同性恋问题的社会局面。
The last full census, in 2000, revealed that Palm Springs had a higher proportion of same-sex couples than San Francisco. In California it was second only to West Hollywood, in Los Angeles. Since then it has become a lot more gay. Yet it feels utterly unlike ghettos such as West Hollywood or the Castro[4], in San Francisco.
2000年的最新全面人口普查数据显示，棕榈泉的同性两伴侣所占人口比例比旧金山高，在全州居第二，仅次于洛杉矶的西好莱坞。8年来棕榈泉的同性恋人口比例大幅提高，但该镇给人的感觉与洛杉矶的西好莱坞区和旧金山的卡斯特罗区全不相同，它不是一个同性恋”隔离区”。
Palm Springs has a couple of bars with a strict leather-and-denim dress code[5], and several hotels where clothing is optional. For the vast majority of its gay residents, though, social life revolves around nothing more transgressive than cocktails and dinner parties. The Golden Rainbow senior centre[6], which Mr Stern helps run, has started a lesbian bridge night. Although some parts of town are pinker than others, Palm Springs contains no gay ghetto.
棕榈泉有几家实行严格皮革-牛仔着装符号的酒吧，也有可以无着装狂欢的酒店。但该镇绝大多数的同性恋居民行为并不出格，他们的社交活动也不过是鸡尾酒会和晚餐派对而已。斯特恩协助运营的”金彩虹”服务中心发起过一个女同性恋交友会。尽管镇中各区同性恋色彩程度不一，但是棕榈泉没有明显的”同性恋区”。
Across America same-sex couples are becoming more ordinary. Their numbers are growing most rapidly outside traditional magnets like California, New York and Vermont (see map). One of the steepest increases has been in Utah, probably America’s most conservative state. Indeed, of the 34 states with above-average increases in the number of gay couples, 21 voted for Mr Bush in 2004. This does not mean there has been a sudden outbreak of homosexuality in conservative states; rather, it means gay couples in such areas are swiftly becoming more open about their relationships. That alters the politics of gay marriage.
在全美，同性伴侣正变得越来越寻常。在加州、纽约州、佛蒙特州这些传统同性恋大本营以外的地区，同性伴侣的数目迅速增长（见上图）。最快的增长出现在犹他州–可能也是美国最保守的州。事实上同性伴侣数目增长率高于平均的34个州里，有21个在2004年的大选中把票投给了布什。这增长并不意味着各保守州内的同性恋数目突然爆发式增加了，而是说明这些地区的同性伴侣正迅速地变得愿意将其伴侣关系公开。这些变化也使得同性恋婚姻的政治局面有所转变。
The residents of Palm Springs who vote to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman will not just be voting against a bunch of out-and-proud folk[7] in a distant city whose official slogan is “Only in San Francisco”[8]. They will be voting to defy the wishes of their rather ordinary neighbours. For them, the decision to annul same-sex marriages will be personal, even painful. They may do it anyway.
对棕榈泉的居民而言，投票赞同将婚姻定义为一男一女的结合不仅仅是去反对一群在那座官方口号就是”只有在旧金山”的遥远城市里闹”光荣出柜”的人，而且是去否决他们最最普通邻居的心愿。他们的抉择将涉及私人关系，甚至很痛苦。但他们还是可能会投反对票。
Although California’s major pollsters reckon the gap is closing, they have never found a majority of residents in favour of same-sex marriage. Whites are evenly divided on the subject, whereas Latinos are opposed and blacks are fiercely opposed. February’s primary election suggests turnout among both minority groups will be high this November. The fact that the legislature has twice approved gay marriage means little: because of the way its districts are drawn, California’s legislature is more liberal than the state’s voters overall.
尽管多数加州民意测验专家都断定支持者和反对者的比例差距正在缩小，但是支持同性婚姻的居民从未在测验中占过多数：白人半数支持半数反对；拉丁裔反对；黑人强烈反对。2月份的预选显示今年11月拉丁裔和黑人的投票率将会很高。加州议会两次通过议案认可同性婚姻合法这一事实说明不了什么问题–由于议会选区划分方法的关系，加州议会的议员整体来讲要比加州选民开明很多。
The measure intended for this November’s ballot is just 14 words long: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California.” It may prove rather too brief. David Cruz of the University of Southern California points out that it does not address the court’s central finding that same-sex couples are guaranteed equal treatment. If the measure passes, expect another round of litigation to straighten out this matter and perhaps yet another one to clarify the status of couples who tie the knot before a ban.
预备在11月大选中公决的法案只有一句话：”加州仅认可一男一女间的婚姻。”我们日后可能发现此法案稍嫌过简。南加州大学的大卫·克鲁兹指出，法案没有解决本讼案的核心问题–保障同性伴侣享有平等权利。如果法案通过，就会有新一轮诉讼来处理这一问题。而在禁令颁布之前结为连理的同性伴侣的法律地位则可能需要另一轮诉讼来澄清。
A knottier problem still is presented by same-sex couples from other states who marry in California. What will be their status when they return home? California’s top court may not change the outcome of the presidential race, but its ruling will reverberate well beyond November.
到加州结婚的其他州同性伴侣带来了另一个难题。他们回到本州后的法律地位会怎样？加州高法或许改变不了总统选举结果，但其判决的影响将远远延伸至11月之后。
译注：
[1] Palm Springs：棕榈泉，位于洛杉矶东部，是沙滩修养地。
[2] James Dobson：儿童心理学家，”爱家”(Focus on the Family)组织http://www.family.org/创办人，对美国的文化战争深具影响。《爱家》杂志每期发行量超过50万，范围遍及全世界120多个国家和地区，令无数家庭受益。《爱家》已出简体中文版，可在中国大陆免费索阅。杜布森2005年入选《时代杂志》美国最具影响力的25位福音派人士。
[3] Rick Warren：里克·沃伦（台译 华理克）是美国南加州马鞍峰教会的创立牧师，这个教会是美国最大型、最著名的教会之一。他所著的《The Purpose Driven Life（标竿人生）》影响颇广，已有中文译本。
[4] Castro：旧金山市卡斯特罗区，旧金山最大的同性恋社区。该区自成一格，以其对待同性恋的平等、欢迎态度而闻名。
[5] leather-and-denim dress code：到1975年，”皮革”（Leather）一词在美国的同性恋社区中，已成为指称从事施虐受虐淫行为（或”S/M”）的个人的一种代号（它与服装有关，因为这些人多穿皮夹克；同时又是语言上的一种速记符号）。像其所代表的性行为一样，这种亚文化的社会风气也是粗鲁、强悍和火热的。每当太阳落山的时候，旧金山弗索姆街一带灯光昏黄的货栈区便人头攒动。许多人骑着摩托车，穿着蓝色牛仔裤和黑色皮夹克，装出1954年马龙·白兰度（Marlon Brando）导演的影片《飞车党》（The Wild One）中的流氓恶棍模样。许多人的裤子后袋里都仔细地塞着有颜色标记的手绢，以表明自己喜欢承担的性角色–比如左边口袋塞手绢表示此人是”施虐狂”或 “顶子”，右边口袋里塞手绢则表示此人是”受虐狂”或”底子”；蓝色，是要按老式方法来；黑色，则是要求真正施虐狂式的性交。这还只是开始。这样标志出各自的爱好之后，人们便涌入各酒吧和浴室。
([美]詹姆斯·米勒著，高毅译：《福柯的生死爱欲》，上海：上海世纪出版集团，2005年，356页)
[6] http://www.goldenrainbowseniorcenter.org/
[7] out-and-proud：有译作”光荣出柜”。出柜（come out of the closet）是一个比喻，指同性恋或双性恋者向家人、朋友、认识的人（亲友）以及社会公开其性倾向。
TE2007年6月28日的列克星顿专栏就是一篇Out and proud parents，貌似论坛里没有译文。
[8] Only in San Francisco：”只有在旧金山”，旧金山的城市口号。旧金山的官方旅游网站就叫做”Only in San Francisco”（http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/）”only in San Francisco style”也成了旧金山人的作派和骄傲。
致谢：
感谢兰大中文系的yangbang和她研究福柯的美女同学，她们提供的资料和宝贵意见给了我很大的帮助。
译者：silmar http://www.ecocn.org/forum/viewthread.php?tid=12017&extra=page%3D1