Ch. 33 Perfoming Commitment - Tom Cameron

This article points out the difficulty of going against the grain of dominant social structure. Ever since marriage became a ritual in civiliations (I have no idea how long ago this happened), it has been a heterosexual union. So a homosexual couple who wants to get married has to do so in the face of traditionalists, many religions which shun it, and a general uneasiness from society as a whole. Another problem that homosexual marriage faces is the notion of family. When I think of family, I think of the conventional family with a man as the patriarchal, masculine presence, and a woman as the nurturing, matriarchal person. Again, this has very deep historically social roots. So a family where the two heads are of the same gender must go against the grain once again. Heterosexual couples, who carry the momentum of tradition, have an infinitely easier path to marriage. For example, a man could meet a woman in Las Vegas. That same night, probably under the influence of alcohol, they could get married. On the other hand, a lesbian couple such as the one described in today's reading, could be together for fifteen years, form a very close family and a deep love for one another, and be denied the same rights as the drunken Vegas couple. I can begin to undersand the injustices a homosexual person might feel toward state laws banning gay marriage. Like the author says, her relationship and family exemplify marriage in almost every aspect, and probably more. And she does not need a piece of paper to justify this feeling. However, she does need that piece of paper (marriage license) in order to share the legal benefits such as insurance, inheritance, etc. that a heterosexual couple is entitled to. Whether you are a homophobe or not, I think you would agree with me that this is an injustice. Questions: (1) How do you think the public image of gay couples will change over the next few decades? (2) Do you think the US is more homophobic or less homophobic compared to other nations? (3) Which states are likely to legalize gay marriage in the near future?