ASU graduate student finds parallels in her studies and Prop. 8 ruling
By Glenn Gullickson
An Arizona State University graduate student says she’s pleased to find parallels between a project she did and the federal district judge’s ruling that overturned California’s Proposition 8.
Anne-Marie Guest, 36, of Goodyear, did a research project earlier this year on same-sex marriage for a class that’s part of her work for a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Guest’s study looked at how religious studies, sociology and law were intertwined on the issue of banning same-sex marriage.
While there are conflicts among the disciplines, Guest said she found some common ground on the issue, including the definition of traditional marriage and how it’s viewed as a contract. She also found agreement on the value that marriage brings to a society.
She concluded that banning same-sex marriage is harmful to society. “A society that is inclusive is going to be much better off than one that is exclusive,” she said.
Guest said when Judge Vaughn Walker ruled to overturn Proposition 8’s ban of same-sex marriage in July, she noticed that his decision “came up with the same stuff I came up with during my research.” Among the similarities was how banning same sex marriage legitimizes unequal treatment, she said.
Guest, who is originally from California, said her study found that gay rights had not been advanced by popular votes, but in courtrooms where a judge examines the constitutionality of laws.
Guest said her study included a literature review with 20 to 25 sources and anecdotal information obtained from interviews with about 10 people.
One of the most difficult parts of the study was looking past her own biases on the issue, Guest said. She and her partner, Heather Vittori, conducted a wedding ceremony last year at a coffeehouse in Mesa. “We say we got married, even though it’s not legal,” she said.
Guest said she would like to continue her research in civil liberties with a study of employee relations. Guest, who works as a disaster recovery specialist in the Division of Emergency Management, said she encountered discrimination as an employee of the state when the Arizona Legislature voted last year to strip domestic partnership rights.
Guest is hopeful that someday same-sex couples will enjoy equal rights, but predicted the fight for marriage equality “is going to be an uphill battle. I don’t see it going away anytime soon.”
