“Laws Could Always Be Revoked”: Sociopolitical Uncertainty in the Transition to Marriage Equality

Shifting sociopolitical landscapes may create doubts, questions, or concerns for individuals, especially those who hold a disenfranchised identity or are in marginalized relationships (Meyer in Psychology of Sexualities Review 7:81–90, 2016). As a result of political and societal opposition following the Supreme Court Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) decision, for example, legal and social uncertainties may lead to distress for same-sex couples.

Guided by the Contextual Relational Uncertainty (CRU) model (Monk & Ogolsky in Journal of Family Theory & Review, 11(2):243–261, 2019), we test the association between sociopolitical uncertainties (i.e., uncertainty about legal recognition, social acceptance, and norms or scripts) and relational uncertainty (i.e., self, partner, and relationship uncertainty) among people in same-sex (n = 180) and different-sex (n = 180) relationships 1 year after the Obergefell ruling.

We found that most sources of sociopolitical uncertainty were positively associated with the sources of relational uncertainty. Using thematic analysis, we also analyzed responses to open-ended questions about concerns and experiences related to the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. We identified primary themes including increased (a) social certainty and (b) relational security, but also increased uncertainty related to (c) the breadth and permanence of legal recognition, (d) family norms and roles, and (e) potential backlash.

Overall, these findings provide more evidence of the positive and negative consequences of precarious societal transitions on the lives of individuals, particularly people in marginalized relationships.

Policymakers and court system officials should be conscious of the full import of legislation. Even when producing legislation that is perceived to benefit a population, policies and educational resources should be considered that further support these communities across the transition.