Legit?

Homosexual marriage in Massachusetts seemed to be the big news story of the day, both on the internet and in newspapers.  Lots of huzzahs and shouts of triumph, mostly.  A few comments were made that the world hasn’t ended because of this turn of events, directed at, of course, the conservatives, i.e. the anti-homosexual marriage folk, and Christians, who too literally interpret the Bible.

Ally, at Who Moved My Truth, has a few thoughts to share, preceded by an analogy, that are worth considering.  The post is titled “Can You Be Gay & Happy?" Two excerpts that I particularly enjoyed.

"2. You are crazy. Why do you want to be married anyway? Have you noticed how well it works out for heterosexuals? Ever hear of a pre-nup? That’s right, we get married while planning our divorce. We have attorneys advertising to keep them on retainer while you’re married, just in case. It is a broken toy, and you are demanding your right to it. We do have legal benefits that are handy, but you have to decide what they are worth. Many people discover that while they are nice, they are not worth the hassle. Welcome to the divorce world."

And this, for a solid conclusion.

"And stop looking to the government to legitimize your relationships. Your love, your attachments, and your obligations should not have to be defined by a government office. “This is the most important day of my life,” claimed one gay man who recently got married to another gay man in Massachusetts. Why? Because you went before a legal authority in order to prove you had a commitment to someone? What does that prove? That you needed the guilt inspired from a legal proceeding to maintain your commitment?

Yes, I am speaking from the stand point of someone who can go off and get married at whim. I neither take it likely, nor do I care to participate in it. I would like to think that someone could commit to me without the need of a legal document demanding it. That is my idea of true commitment."

Update: This post, titled “Sullilvan’s Misfortune," by Keith Burgess-Jackson, ties in nicely with Ally’s post.  From Burgess-Jackson’s post.

"Law cannot change attitudes. Law cannot mandate respect, esteem, or admiration. Law can enforce tolerance, but it cannot mandate acceptance. Does Sullivan really think that someone who believes that homosexual “marriage” is an abomination will change his or her mind about it simply because the law has changed? Sullivan says the “marriages” about to be effected in Massachusetts are not “gay marriages.” They are, he says, “marriages."

Posted by on 05/17 at 03:29 PM

  1. Suppose your wife was sick.  I presume you’d want to see her in the hospital.

    Suppose you had children.  I presume you’d want joint legal custody of them.

    Suppose your wife was not a U.S. citizen.  I presume you’d want her living here anyway.

    Suppose you died.  I presume you’d want your wife to inherit.

    Suppose you got divorced.  I presume you’d want some at least quasi-orderly method of splitting up your jointly held property, rather than having it descend into an ugly free-for-all.

    Some of these rights can be obtained without marriage; others cannot.  The government, though, offers them as a bundle, because most people want them all together, at the same time.  It also offers a lot of economic incentives, social-engineering stuff that neither you nor I care much about.  But there are very real reasons to want to be married, and these just a few of them.

    It’s not a matter of stealing your neighbor’s car, as that awful essay suggests.  Merely because some people are going to fight against gay marriage does not mean that those people are right, or that no one should want it.

    And you know, I’d LOVE to have a pre-nuptual agreement.  Once you’ve seen a couple of gay divorces, with no legal recourse as one guy steals the other guy’s stuff, my god, a pre-nup would be heaven. 

    Posted by Jason Kuznicki  on  05/18  at  04:33 AM

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