Author Archives: David S. Meyer

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About David S. Meyer

Author and professor of Sociology and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine

Jailing Kim Davis and creating a cause

I’ll still stand by yesterday’s guess, that the rally round imprisoned county clerk Kim Davis will be relatively small and relatively brief.  But today, The Daily News reports that roughly 200 supporters rallied in Grayson, Kentucky to protest her imprisonment.  And … Continue reading

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Martyrs, heroes, and the government

Social conservatives opposed to gay marriage have to decide what to do with Kim Davis, now sitting in a jail cell because she refused to issue marriage licenses–to anyone.  She also refused to authorize anyone else in her office to … Continue reading

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After Obergefell: A Contexts Symposium

I’m one of a bunch of social scientists weighing in on the effects of the Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage.  The sponsor is Contexts, a sociology journal explicitly charged with addressing contemporary issues and addressing a broader audience–not … Continue reading

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The new politics of gay marriage, 2 (the losers).

The Obergefell decision was a resounding defeat for opponents of same sex marriage, and the groups at the core of the anti-equality (traditional marriage?) movement are casting about for new ways to continue their battle.  It’s going to be tough. … Continue reading

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The new politics of gay marriage, 1.

The battle over marriage equality was never only about marriage. The activists and organizations at the core of movements for and against state recognition of homogamy wanted more, much more. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision (Obergefell v. … Continue reading

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Tainted allies: The KKK weighs in

The worst thing that’s happened to the avowedly non-racist heritage supporters of the Confederate flag this week is the appearance of unwelcome support:  The Ku Klux Klan has been permitted to hold a rally in support of government display of … Continue reading

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Strike the flag; direct action version

Just in case all those rainbow flags flying everywhere had obscured the Confederate flag still flying at the state capitol in South Carolina, Bree Newsome climbed the flag poll and took it down.  Police were on top of the situation, … Continue reading

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Don’t stop with the flag. #blackvotesmatter

Politicians in the South, mostly Republicans (because it’s mostly Republicans in power in the South), have been rallying around the removal of the Confederate flag from government display.  South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley called her state legislature into a special … Continue reading

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Start with the flag

The tragic racist killing of nine people at Charleston’s African Methodist Episcopal Church, following a year of activism around #blacklivesmatter, drew unusual attention to a range of issues around political and economic inequality.  Striking the battle flag of the Army … Continue reading

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Climate activists: Habemus papem

Pope Francis’s encyclical on the moral necessity of protecting the earth is out.  You can read “On Care for Our Common Home” here (in English; translations in many other languages are readily available–but I couldn’t find the Latin version).  The … Continue reading

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