ALTERNATIVES TO MARRIAGE: Jonathan Rauch

I have been posting too much and too long lately, so a quick reply to Maggie's important question..."will quasi-marital legal benefits help bring the moral benefits of restraint and commitment to gay men?"

My view: The entanglements and entitlements of marriage will have some effect of bringing increased restraint and commitment to gay men. The only question is how much--a lot, or a little?

Legal marriage will make gay couples next-of-kin, with all the responsibilities that that entails; it will create inlaws and inheritance; it will be much harder to get out of than boyfriendship. All of which (and I could go on) will ramify in the direction of solidifying the bond. And those are just the legal ramifications, before considering the social ones. I see no rational argument for same-sex marriage making gay men less stable, committed, or faithful. The sign is positive, and it's only the magnitude that's unknown.

Memo: Would E.J. Graff be a good candidate for this blog? Anyone know her?
posted by maggie at 10:21 PM | link

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