Dozens of students from across the country converged — in person and via videoconference — at the National Constitution Center last week for a discussion about marriage equality.
The effort was the latest installment of the NCC’s Exchange, a program that allows youth to share ideas and opinions about constitutional issues.
Student representatives of five schools in the Philadelphia area were onsite at the NCC for the Jan. 21 debate, with live video feed from six other schools states including Virginia, Kentucky and California. The forum asked students: “Should same-sex couples have the right to marry?” It was met with affirmation from the majority of the students; of the 11 schools, nine were in favor of granting same-sex couples marriage rights, while two were opposed.
Prior to the discussion, the students researched, debated and voted on the issue, examining the intricate constitutional questions raised by marriage-equality supporters and opponents.
David Eisner, recently appointed president and CEO of the NCC, said the Exchange enables students to learn more about the Constitution by looking at it through the lens of realistic, everyday issues.
“I think it’s incredibly important for high-school students to understand the most important issues that we’re facing in society in order that they can become full participants in a civic dialogue,” Eisner said. “The Constitution Center does not do its best when we are burnishing the halos of our founding fathers; we’re at our best when we’re talking about the real issues that require us to focus on the Constitution today. Having to wrestle with the issues we face in the present day is a much more important part of understanding the relevance of the Constitution than simply understanding its founding.”
The conversation was hosted by Sayeh Hormozi, PennCORD program manager at NCCC, and moderated by Dr. Michael Hogan, co-director of the Center for Democratic Deliberation of Pennsylvania State University. The pair guided the students through the discussion, focusing on such topics as whether the issue should be addressed in the legislative or judicial branch, the relevance of religion in the debate, the impact of same-sex marriage on public and private institutions and the implications of marriage equality on both heterosexual and same-sex couples.
Greg Pezza, a social-studies teacher at Lower Moreland High School in Huntingdon Valley, worked with students in the school’s mentally gifted program to prepare them for the discussion and said, while most favored marriage equality, the event provided them a rare opportunity to discuss LGBT issues in an educational setting.
“This is a touchy subject, but in high schools today, students confront this every single day. They see it every day, they have friends who are gay and lesbian,” Pezza said. “And even if they’re against it, I think this gives them the opportunity to articulate their views and understand the legalities and longterm implications of it and have an educated conversation. The more we shelter them, the more likely they are to not have a firm understanding of the issue.”
Many of the students demonstrated a thorough understanding of the arguments both for and against marriage equality, as well as those concerning the U.S. Constitution — with some pulling out pocket copies of the document for reference during the discussion.
Of the six students who represented the five local schools at the NCC, only one teen was opposed to marriage equality, which she said was based on moral obligations.
Students from Menifee County High School in Frenchburg, Ky., unanimously disapproved of marriage equality, with the teens citing their religious upbringing, as well as the notion that legalizing same-sex marriage will encourage those in heterosexual marriages to divorce.
Hannah Feldman, who represented Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia and advocated for marriage equality, said the forum exposed her to perspectives she rarely encounters, which she saw as a unique learning experience.
“In my school, there’s not really diverse opinions about this; we’re very much urban and liberal,” Feldman said. “So it was really interesting to hear from different people, especially the school in Kentucky, on the other side of the issue. I don’t hear that point of view often at all.”
Hogan noted that the school in Kentucky illustrated to the majority of the students who favored marriage equality that, while most young people share their view, it’s not universal.
“One of the things we tried to do is expose students to the idea that students in other parts of the country may think very differently than them, and we definitely saw that with the kids in Kentucky,” Hogan said. “But the polls all say that in general the younger generation is much more tolerant and open to gay issues than older people, so it’s just a matter of time before these kids make up the majority.”
Hormozi said she was impressed at how professional the students remained throughout the discussion.
“I was nervous coming into it about how the students would treat one another because it’s such a controversial issue and it is mixed with religion often,” she said. “But considering the topic, they were very, very respectful. They stood firm on what they believed, but they let each other speak, and we saw a good mix of views.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].