For gay couples -- marriage matters

[nichomachus]

As we wait for the ruling from the CA Supreme Court on Tuesday, let's pass the time with some interesting research on same-sex marriage. Hopefully, it will be enlightening to some people who still don't understand what the "fuss" is all about.

By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff | May 24, 2009

Five years after the first same-sex weddings in Massachusetts, gay and lesbian couples express deeply traditional reasons for deciding to wed and cite equally conventional benefits flowing from marriage, according to a study being released this week.

A significant majority of the 558 gay men and women surveyed said that since marrying, they feel more committed to their spouses, more accepted in their community, and more likely to be open about their sexual orientation at work.

The survey indicates that there is something universal about the legal protections and social advantages afforded by the institution of marriage, said the study's authors from the University of California, Los Angeles as well as independent researchers. And it suggests, they said, that a ritual once scorned even by many same-sex couples has the power to ease discrimination.

"This really helps us confirm and makes us understand why same-sex couples demand marriage - if it's just about the legal rights, why wouldn't they be happy with civil partnerships?" said Stephanie Coontz author of "Marriage, A History."

"They want access to that word that is so highly valued by our society and by other people.

.......

Virtually all of the married men and women who responded - 93 percent - said "love and commitment" were the prime factors in their decision to wed.

Marriage appears to have forged stronger ties between spouses and their families and even colleagues on the job. When asked whether marriage had created a stronger bond with their partners, nearly three-quarters said it had. And families, the gay couples said, reacted with overwhelming acceptance of their marriage: 82 percent said their parents responded positively, while 91 percent indicated siblings were receptive.

Eight of 10 study participants said that being married made them more likely to disclose their sexual orientation to their coworkers and doctors.

"That suggests there's something powerful about that ritual, about that institution," Badgett said. "People feel more accepted by society."

More at Link

[Heidi]

1. It matters to straight folks, so why wouldn't it matter to our GLBT brothers and sisters?

The key to much of this equal rights issue lies in this quote from the article:

"People feel more accepted by society."

Bigots don't _want_ the disenfranchised to feel more accepted by society. They have the selfish, misguided notion that their slice of the marriage pie gets smaller if anyone else gets a slice of equality. Sad. If their marriages are as strong as they claim, no external circumstance should be able to jeopardize that. Am I right?

[InvisibleTouch]

2. You're right.

I've never understood why some people feel that others' happiness takes away from their own. They must be fairly unhappy in their own lives, that they feel the need to meddle in someone else's.

[Heidi]

3. Kick.

:kick: