VOA常速英语2019--美国对同性结合的接受率上升

Some friends and family members expected something out of the ordinary when Eddie Bogart and Robert Lee were married two years ago in New Castle, Pennsylvania. We had a lot of people expecting or you know being interested or wanted to know what our wedding would be like. But what they witnessed was a traditional and legally binding¹ ceremony that publicly validated² their loving relationship and Commitment. It puts us equal to everybody else I think you know and to me a marriage as a marriage whether it’s a gay marriage or a straight marriage. Four years ago the US Supreme³ Court legalized same-sex marriage in a ruling that helped advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in America. Today 60% of Americans support same-sex marriage compared to 60% who opposed it 15 years ago according to the Pew Research Center.

艾迪和罗伯特2年前在宾夕法尼亚州的纽卡斯尔结婚了，那时候，他们的亲朋好友都认为他们的结合会引起轩然大波。有很多人都很期待，向想看看我们的婚礼会是什么样子。但他们发现这个婚礼是受法律约束的传统仪式，是公开证实他们之间爱人的关系和相互的承诺。这样的方式把我和其他人放在了同等地位。这样一来，对我而言，婚姻也是传统意义上的婚姻，不管是同性恋婚姻也好，双性恋婚姻也好。4年前，美国最高法院在一项判决中将同性结婚合法化，此举助力推动了美国女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋和跨性别人群的权利。如今，美国有六成人支持同性婚姻，而15年前，反对同性婚姻的比例也是六成，这是皮尤研究中心发布的数据。

While opposition⁴ to same-sex marriage in the US may be in decline, it is still a powerful force in politics. Christian⁵ groups have used this issue to mobilize support even among some religious Democrats⁶, for President Trump⁷ who has embraced conservative values. I think this is a problem for the Democratic Party that as they become increasingly radical⁸ and increasing tied to increasingly radical social policies. It’s going to be harder and harder for some of these some of their historical supporters to continue to support them. But the strong support or Democratic presidential contender Pete Budaj may undermine that argument. The South Bend Indiana mayor who is gay and married to another men is one of a rising number of LGBT politicians who advocates say have benefited from being open about their sexuality. Voters feel like if they’re being honest and open about who they are in something like you know their sexuality, that means they’re gonna be open and honest across the board with voters. Politics aside, same-sex relationships in the US have become increasingly part of the diverse fabric⁹ of America. With Bobbi and Eddie breaking down bias¹⁰ in their community by being just another married couple.

虽然美国现在反对同性婚姻的人数在减少，但政坛中依然有一股相当大的力量在反对同性婚姻。一些基督教团体曾通过这一问题来动员并获取支持，动员的对象甚至包括持基督教信仰的民主党议员，因为特朗普总统一直支持传统价值观。我认为这是民主党的一个问题，他们变得越来越激进了，越来越执迷于极端社会政策。他们以前的支持者很难继续支持他们了。不过，民主党总统候选人皮特所获得的广泛支持似乎让这一说法不攻自破。这位南印第安纳州市长也是一位同性恋人士，他跟一位同性结婚了。皮特跟政坛的许多LGBT政治家一样，因为公开性取向而获益良多。选民们认为，如果政治家对自己的性取向等问题够坦诚、够公开，那么这样的政治家就能在很多问题上与选民坦诚相待。除了政治以外，美国同性婚姻的问题已经越来越成为美国多样性的组成部分。艾迪和罗伯特就通过结婚的方式打破了社群对他们的偏见。

1 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

2 validated   

v.证实( validate的过去式和过去分词 )；确证；使生效；使有法律效力

参考例句：

• Time validated our suspicion. 时间证实了我们的怀疑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The decade of history since 1927 had richly validated their thesis. 1927年以来的十年的历史，充分证明了他们的论点。 来自辞典例句

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

8 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

9 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

10 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。