2020: "Marriage for (almost) everyone" - One year of same-sex marriage in Vienna

Since marriage for same-sex couples has only been possible since January 1, 2019, there is a lack of empirical knowledge about same-sex married people in Vienna and Austria, how (un)satisfied LGBTIQA are with marriage or what has changed in their lives as a consequence of marriage from their perspective and experience. The aim of the research project was to explore three main ques-tions in the form of a pilot study. First, to conduct an exploratory study of the possibilities and conditions of marriage for same-sex couples in Austria. Second, what effects does the possibility of marriage or the consummation of marriage have on other areas of life, emotional and mental health, and life satisfaction in general? Third, what is the relevance of the possibility of marriage in relation to the possibility of a registered partnership (german: Eingetragene Partnerschaft, EP)? The project was based on an intersectional approach, which took into account different perspectives and life realities in relation to marriage for all and included them in the analysis.

Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to answer the questions underlying this study. Based on an extensive literature study, a guideline was developed, on the basis of which four inter-views with married persons were conducted. These interviews were conducted in a narrative-biographical setting with a special focus on the topic of same-sex marriage. Based on the evaluated interviews, a questionnaire was created, which was distributed through various channels of the LGB-TIQA-community. In addition to collecting basic demographic data, the following questions were addressed: What were the experiences of those couples who decided to marry? Are there differences between these couples, depending on group affiliations or different intersectional lived realities? How satisfied are LGBTIQAs with marriage for everyone? What is going well, what is not? What are suggestions for improvement, what are critiques? To what extent does marriage for everyone influence the overall satisfaction, quality of life, feeling of acceptance in Vienna or Austria? What has changed for married people - in their family, their social environment, the community, their work environment, in everyday life?

A total of 98 people returned the questionnaire between the beginning of August and the end of October 2020. The adjusted sample ultimately comprised a total of 87 people, although the number of respondents varies greatly depending on the questions. Due to the size of the sample, the results presented below are not representative for the LGBTIQA-community as a whole, but several important tendencies can be identified and central findings formulated. The present study can therefore be used as a starting point for larger and broader follow-up research. The main evaluation axis is based on sexual orientation, but other categories are also included in the evaluation for in-depth analysis in order to be able to make intersectional statements. More than half of the respondents currently live in Vienna. About one in ten lives in Lower Austria, which has almost as many inhabitants as Vienna, and in Styria, which is much smaller. Upper Austria, Salzburg and Tyrol are in the middle of the sample, and two people each answered the online questionnaire in Burgenland, Carinthia and Vorarlberg. With regard to the category of gender, a bias can also be observed: 74 percent of the respondents are female, 22 percent male and only two persons each are intersexual, non-binary or queer. Furthermore, the majority of the sample identifies as cis (91 percent) - this means that no generalizable statements can be made regarding the experiences of trans persons as well as non-binary/queer and intersex persons.

The central findings of the study are summarized below. Overall, satisfaction with the bureaucratic steps required for marriage is extremely high: between 89 percent and 97 percent are (very) satisfied with the examination of marriageability, the issuing of the marriage certificate, the change of name and the performance of the wedding ceremony. The behavior of the registrars is also rated as very positive by the majority. On the question of whether the expectation of being treated like an opposite-sex couple was fulfilled, there was predominantly positive feedback; only very few experienced different treatment.

Reactions to the marriage on behalf of the own family were predominantly positive, however some also experienced neutral, a few even (very) negative reactions. The reactions of the partner's family were generally worse. Close friends and acquaintances as well as the LGBTIQ environment reacted almost exclusively (very) positively, as did colleagues at work. There were hardly any changes in the relationship to various groups of people as a result of the marriage, and if there were any, they were mostly positive.

Finally, we were interested in the extent to which marriage influences life satisfaction, the feeling of security and visibility in the public sphere, self-esteem and acceptance by Austrian society in general. Different degrees of positive changes in the quality of relationships can be observed in the partnership, the family of origin and the family of the partner. There was no shift in the other areas of life. With regard to physical and mental health, it is noticeable that although only a few people are more satisfied with their physical health, one in four reports higher satisfaction with their mental health.

Almost half of the respondents (out of a total of 53) feel more accepted by Austrian society since their marriage, and the feeling of safety in public spaces has also increased for around 14 percent (out of a total of 64), especially among lesbians. Moreover, a few lesbians are more visible in public with their partner. There have been no changes since marriage with regard to negative remarks, behavior, threats of violence or violence - on the contrary, two people experience the latter less frequently. However, what has increased (at least partially) for almost three quarters of the persons since marriage is the self-confidence of their appearance - this change mainly concerns lesbians. Every sixth person (out of a total of 61) has become both more self-confident and more satisfied in their partnership as a result of marriage. With regard to the connection between mental health and self-confidence, it is striking that at least a quarter of the respondents speak of an improvement in their mental well-being and equally of a (partly) more self-confident appearance. The situation is similar for self-confidence and acceptance by Austrian society: Every fifth person (out of a total of 52) perceives a more self-confident appearance and increased social acceptance.

Finally, the relevance of the possibility of marriage or a registered partnership was discussed. A good forty percent had already been in an EP (Eingetragene Partnerschaft) before marriage, and a quarter had considered the EP as an alternative before marriage. It should be emphasized that a total of around 68 percent see the EP as (partly) more modern than marriage; the majority think it is good that both options are available.

In summary, the present study was able to find fundamental answers to all three research questions and to demonstrate the strong effects associated with the legal equality of LGBTIQ persons through the opening of marriage - be it a better relationship with their partners, more self-confidence and better mental health or the (only subjectively perceived or actual) increased acceptance by the Austrian majority society. With this report, a first important impulse was set to fill the empirical gap of experiences of LGBTIQ couples with marriage, which has been possible since January 2019, and an essential contribution was made for further research and evaluations.