‘Like Race’? Is Religious Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage Analogous to Racism?
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article seeks to explore the question of whether religious opposition to same-sex marriage should be regarded as analogous to racism. In interrogating this question, it is observed that whereas it is now more than a decade since the right to have a civil marriage was first afforded to same-sex couples in England, the continued refusal of the Church of England to solemnize same-sex relationships is viewed by some as being akin to the social evil of racism. Whilst mindful of the dangers of equating religiously motivated objections to same-sex unions with racism, it is argued that increasing reference to the ‘like race’ analogy in this context may, in certain circumstances, be both desirable and inevitable.
DOI: 10.1093/ojlr/rwag008
Authors: Peter Cumper, Tom Lewis
Institutions: University of Leicester, Nottingham Trent University
Language: English
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,533
OpenAlex ID: W7159677545
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