Marriage equality got a big boost last week from Judge Vaughn Walker who threw out California’s Proposition 8 based on all evidence showing it was discriminatory and no evidence or witnesses offering any reason to prevent gays and lesbians from marrying — other than because they said so.
The next day, the Mexican Supreme Court handed down a decision upholding marriage equality in Mexico City by a decision of 8-2 Reports have come out today saying that the Supreme Court there has ruled that not only is Mexico City’s same-sex marriage law constitutional, but same-sex couples legally married in Mexico City have to be recognized as legally married throughout Mexico, even by those states that don’t allow gays to marry, according to CNN Mexico.
An unscientific Fox News poll shows (what Fox News poll really IS scientific?) showed more than 70 percent agree with the Judge Walker’s ruling.
So we have marriage in all three North American capitals, across Canada and in five U.S. states. Marriage in Argentina. Marriage being debated in Uruguay and civil unions proposed in Chile, Paraguay and Costa Rica. And you can hardly find a European country anymore that doesn’t treat gays, lesbians and straights equally.
The world is getting more and more difficult for those of us who believe in hot, sweaty, meaningless gay sex as it’s existed since Biblical times.
While I understand the right people have to get married, little has been said lately for those of us who don’t want to marry. Ever.
First there’s the wedding. I hate weddings — gay or straight. I always have. I avoid them like the plague.
Pretending to be happy for the couple. Shopping for the gifts — especially if they’ve registered someplace I’m boycotting. Dressing up in something other than my trademark sneakers. Weddings, to me, are torture.
Next there are those 1,000-plus benefits married couples get. There are also a few I’ve benefited from over the years that unmarried people enjoy.
A former partner and I bought a house in Dallas and a house on Cedar Creek Lake. He homesteaded the Dallas house. I homesteaded the Henderson County house. A married couple can only homestead one property but Texas didn’t recognize our relationship so this was completely legal. They can’t have it both ways.
As a homesteaded Henderson County resident, albeit only two days a week, I registered my car at the county courthouse in Athens for less than it would have cost in Dallas and as a bonus got lower insurance rates as well. (This was long before gay-friendly Progressive Insurance came along. That company happily calls my current domestic partner and me a couple — cheap ploy to get ALL of our business.)
For older Americans, social security benefits are often lower for couples than for singles. My father and his wife never got a civil marriage because their monthly pension check would have been lower as a couple than they received as singles.
But one of the biggest benefits is not taking on the debt of, or dividing the wealth with, your dead-beat ex-husband. A married couple, especially in a community property state, divides all wealth and all debts equally between spouses.
So in divorce number 13, I would have had to give up some of my stuff and gotten nothing from him. And in divorce number 17, I would have acquired half of his massive Neiman Marcus bill.
Marriage? No thank you. I’ll stick to uncommitted, meaningless relationships as they’ve existed since Biblical times. Maybe even longer. (And yes, therapy’s been recommended — by friends, co-workers and Candy Marcum.)
To each his own Mr. Taffet. I support you 100%. The only part of the wedding that I really like is the reception and primarily the open bar. Nothing beats knocking back 8 or more Geese and Tonics and movin on from there.
Oh, right … the open bar … Maybe there are some benefits.
I don’t agree with you as far as what I might personally want, but as it has been said to each his own, and yes we all need to follow our truth and what makes us individually happy.
The only problem I have after reading this is regardless whether somebody wants to marry eventually, or doesn’t ever want to marry, I think that they should all have the right to be able to should they choose someday to marry. I love your articles and reporting, normally enjoy them very much. This time not so much, not because of what you personally believe in, but with Gay Rights being such a struggle in the world, particularly rights in Texas, I worry you are giving people who want to deny that right a little ammunition ?
Their argument has been all these years that we were a group of people who were incapable of healthy, loving legitimate relationships, yet at the same time they enjoyed denying us that very right to legitimize our love when we found it, if we found it. I think you are giving ammunition to the wrong side at the wrong time.
Rolls eyes oh bring it on Mr.Taffet explain yourself .
Sounds like the battle is all but over re recognizing gay unions with marriage or a similar contract.
in the last 2 months marriage in Portugal, Iceland, Argentina, and civil unions in ireland. Finland planning to replace partnerships with marriage. Adoption coming for gay people in Denmark as part of their registered partnerships. Chile moving towards CU or marriage. Marriage all over Mexico via the Mex supreme court re Mex city. Civil unions prob around the corner in Costa Rica.
Most of these are Catholic countries – the church of Adoph HItler still not yet EXcommunicated. The church that in Brazil, USA, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria etc that has been racked by how the church “protects children” – by still requiring celibacy., then hiding vile abuse of children all over the world where it operates
I used to think that Pope Benedict was a horror show……………………………………
Now I realize he is a gift from God. Sent to destroy the evil in this church, and eithef force a real reformation where all of Gods creation are treated as such, or make the church a sad sick footnote in mankinds history of the last two thousand years.
As Jesus said in his only two commandments – Love God , and Love thy neighbor as thyself, the western world is doing so.
David,
Check out Alternatives to Marriage Project. They are an organization working for the rights of single people and couples, legally committed or not. https://www.unmarried.org/
Gay marriage?… what a f****g joke…
staright marriage?… another f****g joke marriage lost its values long time ago … so why to bother…. lets just continue being whores, because thats what we do.. we f*** with everything that moves………. you know who you are!