On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-gender marriage. From California to Missouri, nearly all states now face legislative challenges to the once firmly entrenched notion that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. Public opinion polls conducted from 1977 to 2004 found that Americans' attitudes toward…

Gives a history of attitudes toward homosexuality and discusses the consequences of homophobia, an irrational fear of homosexuality. Stresses that social workers must understand that feelings and fantasies about same-sex behavior are natural before they can help clients cope with the social problems engendered by homophobia. (Author/JAC)