Holly Jackson

jackson-CROP

Professor

The end of federal resistance to [gay marriage] seems to call the time of death for a strain of conservative political rhetoric commonly called “family values,” which holds that the strength of the nation depends on the health of the family, an institution on the brink of disintegration due to lax social mores.

For hundreds of years, saddling certain groups – African Americans, working women and immigrants, for instance – with a reputation for being dangerous to the family has been a durable conservative strategy in the United States.

The Death Of 'Family Values'? Let's Hope.

Holly Jackson: "Couples demanding rights as spouses and parents are redefining the American family, even in heartland states like Kansas and the Carolinas." Pictured: Jennifer Melsop and Erika Turner, from Centreville, Va., embrace after they were officially pronounced married. Virginia began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples just hours after the Supreme Court's action Monday, October 6, 2014. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)