Debate: Does Marriage Equality Reinforce a Conservative Institution or Support Social Change?

Scot Nakagawa (Why I Support Same Sex Marriage as a Civil Right, But Not As a Strategy to Achieve Structural Change) caused a stir on the LGBT blogosphere with his criticism of the push for gay marriage as a conservative movement and not an effective way to create radical change.

He is correct that the right to marry is not the end of the fight for LGBT equality, but I think he is wrong to dismiss the fight, and near victory, for gay and lesbian couples to legally marry as a conservative strategy that falls short of true liberation.  The freedom to marry is not the only, or the most important, goal for LGBT liberation, but for many gay and lesbian couples it would be a major step forward in achieving civil rights and equality.  There are other issues, like economic inequality and job discrimination, that most also be addressed, but it is not accurate to dismiss marriage equality as a conservative strategy and goal that falls short.

Here's a debate on the issue...

Debate: Does Marriage Equality Reinforce a Conservative Institution or Support Social Change?