In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court hearings last week on the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8, California’s same-sex marriage ban, some Duke students who oppose same-sex marriage are conscious of being part of a student body that overwhelmingly supports it.
Students who do not support same-sex marriage have cited the general views of the student body for why they are wary of voicing their contrasting opinions on campus. According to recent data, they are clearly in the minority on the issue. A 2011 Chronicle survey of undergraduates found that 85 percent of students polled said same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. Nationally, a December 2012 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found 65 percent of those ages 18 to 34 support same-sex marriage.
Freshman Noura von Briesen said she does not support same-sex marriage based on her Muslim faith. Von Briesen said she and her friends with similar religious convictions, several of whom are members of Campus Crusade for Christ, do not publicize their opinions about same-sex marriage out of fear that they would provoke negative reactions from their peers.
“We don’t openly voice our opinions because we feel like we are going to be attacked... by anyone who does support gay marriage,” von Briesen said. “Yes, I believe everyone should be equal, but I have these religious beliefs as well. I don’t know how to compromise them.”
Despite her religious reasons for opposing same-sex marriage, von Briesen said she believes it is not up to the government or the general population to decide on the subject. Von Briesen added that there needs to be greater acceptance of minority opinions on campus.
“If I wasn’t religious, I would support it. It’s only because my religion says it is bad and has numerous justifications for it,” von Briesen said. “People need to understand where we’re coming from when we say we aren’t in support of gay marriage.”
Junior Jacob Tobia, outgoing president of Blue Devils United, said he cannot speak on behalf of BDU as a whole but that he personally believes those who do not support same-sex marriage “misunderstand” what same-sex marriage would mean in a legal sense.
“Marriage is a legal institution with no relation to religious marriage,” Tobia wrote in an email Tuesday. “Accordingly, people should be able to marry who they want, despite religious objections. If anyone uses Leviticus [a book in the Old Testament] to condemn queer people, they better not have eaten shellfish in the past three years or owned a mixed-fiber T-shirt at any point in their life, because Leviticus says those things are bad, too.”
Despite the overwhelming support for same-sex marriage on campus, Tobia said he still thinks that those who oppose same-sex marriage have an equal right to political speech.
Jack Clark, junior class representative in Duke College Republicans, said that those who do oppose same-sex marriage would be discouraged by the liberal environment to speak out.
“I haven’t heard anyone on this campus be actively against gay marriage,” Clark said. “I understand why they wouldn’t, because it’s hard to take someone’s opinion seriously if people claim they’re going against civil rights.”
Clark noted that opposition to same-sex marriage may not carry the same political association on campus as it might elsewhere in the country. Junior Taylor Imperiale, chair of Duke College Republicans, co-signed a letter in opposition to Amendment One to The Chronicle last April alongside Tobia and senior Elena Botella, then-president of Duke Democrats. The amendment, which was approved in statewide vote May 8, named heterosexual marriage as the only legally recognized in North Carolina.
Michael Munger, professor of political science, noted that Duke faculty are also very liberal like the student body, but are more accepting of alternative viewpoints. Munger, the 2008 Libertarian candidate for governor of North Carolina, said that he is not aware of a single faculty member who believes gay marriage should be not be allowed and that overall, there are very few conservative faculty members.
Duke, nonetheless, is the most welcoming place for conservative views that he has experienced, Munger added. At other institutions such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Texas at Austin, Munger said he felt “oppressed” due to some of his conservative views. At Duke, although faculty may argue with him in the spirit of debate, Munger said it is a relatively respectful environment.
“Duke stands out as a beacon of academic freedom and openness,” Munger said. “At least here, alternate views are tolerated. Everywhere else is worse.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.