Adam and Steve
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"Adam and Steve" is a phrase that originated from the conservative Christian slogan "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve", intended to concisely summarize Judeo-Christian Bible-based arguments against gay sexual practices or homosexuality.[1] The assumption behind this phrase is that the Biblical account of the creation of human beings as a male-female pair illustrates the natural or divinely-intended way of life for humanity. It occurs in some Christian right anti-LGBT rhetoric.
History
The phrase appeared, on a protest sign, as early as 1977, as mentioned in a New York Times news service report about a November 19 rally in Houston that year.[2] The phrase was used in "The Gay Bar", an episode of Maude broadcast on December 3, 1977. Two years later, Jerry Falwell gave the phrase wider circulation in a Christianity Today report of a press conference he had given.[3] The phrase later acquired a certain notoriety, and, when used to name a pair of characters in a work of fiction, helps to identify them as members of a homosexual pair (Paul Rudnick's play The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told,[4] the 2005 film Adam & Steve and other works). The phrase was used by the Democratic Unionist Party MP David Simpson during the British House of Commons' debate on same-sex marriage, although a slip of the tongue originally saying "in the Garden of Eden, it was Adam and Steve" initially caused laughter in the chamber.[5]
Variations and other languages
The phrase "Madam and Eve" is sometimes used analogously in reference to lesbian relationships.
In Portuguese, the phrase is rendered as "Deus criou Adão e Eva, não Adão e Ivo".
See also
- Christianity and homosexuality
- David and Jonathan
- History of Christianity and homosexuality
- Homosexual agenda
References
- ^ Clarke, Victoria (September–October 2001). "What about the children? arguments against lesbian and gay parenting". Women's Studies International Forum. 24 (5): 555–570. doi:10.1016/S0277-5395(01)00193-5.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ Klemesrud, Judy (November 20, 1977). "Equal Rights Plan and Abortion Are Opposed by 15,000 at Rally". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
- ^ Balch, David (2000). Homosexuality, science, and the "plain sense" of Scripture. Grand Rapids, Mich: Wm. B. Eerdmans. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-8028-4698-3.
- ^ Hurwitt, Robert (21 May 2001). "Adam and Steve's adventures in paradise". San Francisco Chronicle. p. E4.
- ^ Hennessy, Mark (6 February 2013). "British MPs back gay marriage legislation". The Irish Times.
Further reading
- Katha Pollitt, "Adam and Steve — Together at Last", The Nation, 15 December 2003.