Carroll, Joseph. “Most Americans Approve of Interracial Marriage.” Gallup. N.p., 17 Aug 2007. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/28417/most-americans-approve-interracial-marriages.asp&xgt;.

Fraser, Shona. According to a Queer Grrrl: Why Stonewall Survives to This Day. 2012. Photograph. Pink MafiaWeb. 6 Apr 2014. <http://pinkmafia.ca/blog/2012/06/12/according-to-a-queer-grrrlwhy-stonewall-survies-to-this-day/>.

Hickey , Walter. A History of the Gay Rights Movement. 2013. Photograph. Business InsiderWeb. 6 Apr 2014. <http://www.businessinsider.com/gay-rights-marriage-timeline-supreme-court-doma-2013-3?op=1>.

Holtum, Paul. 10 Fascinating Interracial Marriages in History. 2011. Photograph. ListVerse. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://listverse.com/2011/01/25/10-fascinating-interracial-marriages-in-history/>.

Imagine How Stupid You Are Going to Look in 40 Years. 2012. Photograph. WeKnowDoge. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://weknowmemes.com/2012/05/imagine-how-stupid-you-are-going-to-look-in-40-years/>.

lbwoodgate, . The DNA of Social Change. 2013. Photograph. Woodgate’s View. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://woodgatesview.com/2013/01/14/the-dna-of-social-change/>.

“LGBT History.” Ohio University LGBT Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://www.ohio.edu/lgbt/resources/history.cfm>.

“Loving v. Virginia: The Case Over Interracial Marriage.”American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <https://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/loving-v-virginia-case-over-interracial-marriage>.

Maillard, Kevin Noble. “The Myth of Rarity.” The New York Times. n.p., 27 Jun 2013. Web. 6 Apr 2014.<http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/13/is-interracial-marriage-still-scandalous/interracial-couples-are-still-seen-as-rare>.

Novkov, Julie.  “The Miscegenation/Same-Sex Marriage Analogy: What Can We Learn from Legal History?” Law and Social Inquiry Journal 33.2 (2008): 345-386. Web. 6 Apr 2014.

Red for Equality. N.d. Photograph. DiversityIncWeb. 6 Apr 2014. <http://www.diversityinc.com/diversity-and-inclusion/red-for-equality-what-are-the-10-most-powerful-memes-for-same-gender-marriage/>.

“Same-Sex Unions throughout Time A History of Gay Marriage.” Random History. N.p., 4 Feb 2011. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://www.randomhistory.com/history-of-gay-marriage.html>.

Sergant, Yosi. Manifest Equality, Closing Night Party. 2010. Photograph. Dossier Journal, Los Angeles. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://dossierjournal.com/blog/events/manifest-equality-closing-night-party/>.

 Wait, what?

Interracial marriage and same-sex marriage go hand in hand for many reasons, perhaps the biggest reason of all being the transition from interracial marriages into same-sex marriages. As the battle for marriage equality continues, we see politicians and lawyers referencing the anti-miscegenation legislation. Many of us, myself included, feel that history is repeating itself. Bans are put into place prohibiting same-sex couples from getting married just like they were in the past against interracial couples. As a country that claims to separate church and state, the supreme court is crossing that boundary by claiming that they are merely protecting the sanctity of marriage (just like they tried to “protect” it from mixing races before).

In transitioning from one marriage ban to the other, we often forget how unacceptable interracial marriages still seem to be. The ban was lifted years ago, yes, but we can still see resentment in some people’s eyes. States like Alabama unconstitutionally held the ban in place until 2000 and even more recently, Louisiana refused to marry an interracial couple claiming they were worried about the children that would result from this marriage. Though our generation is more accepting of them, they are still seen as rare and exotic. Dating outside of your race is still not the norm even though it is constantly happening all around us. As an individual that has always engaged in interracial relationships, I still get looked at sideways from time to time. My family still expects me to end up marrying within my race in order to preserve my culture. In other words, I can “have fun” for a while but when it gets down to the nitty gritty, I better be behind the right racial boundary. These expectations have been dragged out year after  year yet they have been left unaddressed, especially in the media.

Recently, a Cheerios commercial was released involving an interracial couple and their bi-racial daughter. What seemed like a harmless commercial prompted many Americans to spew hateful comments and racial slurs against it. The comments got so nasty that YouTube actually had to restrict access to the comments section so that you can no longer comment on the video. Many of us are oblivious to lingering racial tendencies, but this is a prime example of how much opposition exists against interracial couples.

Moving Forward:

Anti-miscegenation laws were put in place to secure racialization and support the white supremacist regimes that were in effect during that time. It was a way to control the new generation and ensure that the white race remained in control. America was still in the Civil War mentality and most of the time thought of other races as property much like they did when they held them as slaves. Northern states were more progressive, but Southern states only knew how to subordinate anyone different them. However, as we crossed that bridge we ran into another community seeking to shake the foundation of this country: the gay community. Now America is claiming that heteronormativity must remain in place and under control and so we can observe a trend in the way this country chooses to handle hot-button issues. Many, thankfully not all, legislators rely on old, colonial traditions of subordination (whether they admit it or not) and thus prohibit any minority group from achieving equality.

The fight for equality from both parties is a universal struggle and it is important to realize that this battle has already been fought. Marriage equality should have extended to all parties seeking it the moment one was granted their rights. We should have learned from the anti-miscegenation laws. We should have remembered how terrible the interracial struggle was and continues to be and fought to put and an end to it so that communities such as the gay community wouldn’t have to suffer the same fate. As a society, we should have put a stop to the racism still felt today. How are we supposed to progress forward as a country and accept the gay community what they are, our equals, if we’re still carrying around the same racist tendencies as before? If interracial couples are still taboo and same-sex couples are unacceptable, what happens when we encounter an interracial, gay couple?

So…what do we do?

It’s up to us to raise the next generation prejudice-free. Eliminating racism and legalizing marriage equalityovernight is obviously impossible but we can make a difference with the small victories. Let your neighbor know that you aren’t okay with their racial slurs and that they’re violating the basic human right of acceptance. If you have kids, don’t condition them to favor one race over the other, let them judge others based on their character and not the color of their skin or their sexual orientation. If you were raised in a household that upheld racist tendencies, leave that baggage there and build a home prejudice-free. Ultimately, these small decisions are what make a difference. It is up to our generation to change the world for the better and implement equality. 

“Love is a human experience, not a political statement.” – Anne Hathaway

A Quick Overview:

Instances of homosexuality date back to the beginning of time. Ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and Ancient Greeks recognized same-sex unions and even went as far as encouraging them. As time wore on, however, this mentality changed and soon homosexuality was frowned upon. It wasn’t long before the gay community felt it was time to take a stand and join in on the civil rights movement to pursue their rights as humans.  In 1951, The Mattachine Society, often considered the beginning of the contemporary organized gay rights movement in the U.S., was founded to help homosexuals realize their collective histories and experiences. Soon after in 1969, the Stonewall Riots in New York City’s Greenwich Village marked the start of physical resistance by the gay community to discrimination. Police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay pub, and ended up having to barricade themselves inside the Inn to protect themselves from the bottles and bricks being thrown at them by the rioters.

There were and still continue to be many instances in which the gay community has pushed back but perhaps the most important was the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights on October 11, 1987. Over 500,000 people participated, making it the largest civil rights demonstration in U.S. history and also forever marking October 11th as National Coming Out Day. The Civil Rights Movement is often remembered as America’s black community rising up and fighting against the never-ending discrimination, but they weren’t the only ones fighting.

Richard and Mildred Loving

Then:

A few decades ago, America passed a giant milestone by declaring the ban on interracial marriages unconstitutional. It all began with two individuals by the name of Mildred Jeter, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man. Very much in love, they were determined to bypass Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws, or laws that banned interracial relationships and marriages, by traveling to Washington D.C. for a legal marriage. Upon their return to their home state of Virginia in 1958, they were charged with unlawful cohabitation and sentenced to a year in prison if they did not agree to leave the state for the next 25 years. After their second arrest, Richard and Mildred Loving decided to allow the Civil Rights Movement to inspire them to fight against the hate and bans against their marriage. They entered a long court case, Loving v. Virginia, lasting until 1967 in which the Supreme Court FINALLY declared anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional and ordered for the bans to be lifted nationwide.

Now:

A few decades AFTER the Loving v. Virginia case, we see more instances of interracial relationships and even marriages. To our generation, it may not seem as taboo anymore because we are constantly being exposed to interracial couples on college campuses, at work, at the mall, etc. We may seem oblivious to the different forms racism has taken on now, but the truth is that it still exists. Older generations still hold on to the mentality that races shouldn’t be mixed. They raise their children and their children’s children to uphold these norms and refuse to conform to the intermixing of races that occurs so frequently around the world today. According to a Gallup poll conducted in 2007, 85% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 49 approve of marriages between blacks and whites, while among those aged 50 and older, 67% approve. 67% is indeed more than half of the American population, but just barely. It is unacceptable to leave any amount of racism unaddressed and still claim to be a “progressive” country, especially with new issues, such as same-sex marriage, that rely on the history of interracial marriage to claim their civil rights. We will never see an end to inequality if we don’t take a stand NOW to raise awareness and put a stop to the dirty looks and hateful slurs spewed by the older generations.

Where do we go from here?