Love in America changes — and the country improves – Santa Fe New Mexican

A positive change in attitudes concerning sexuality occurred in the opening years of the 21st century. In the year 2000, the little state of Vermont became the first in the country to sanction civil unions — the legal equivalent of marriage — for same-sex couples.

Fifteen years later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that under the 14th Amendment, Americans everywhere have a right to marry the person they love. And now, this month, Congress passed a Respect for Marriage Act guaranteeing (just in case the Supremes change their minds) that the law of the land remains in place.

A generation ago, moralists warned that homosexual unions would mean social breakdown and the end of the traditional family. Instead, the Institute for Family Studies reported that in 2020, the divorce rate hit a 50-year low, not seen since Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were a TV couple. True, fewer folks are getting married. But those who tie the knot are staying together, which can only be good for kids.