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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Shattering The Sanctity of Marriage

This week I learned that on the 2012 ballot in the State of Washington (where I live), we will see a referendum asking to give same-sex couples the right to marriage.  I'm one half of a same-sex couple.  There is outrage amoung those who oppose gay marriage and their main argument seems to be that if I have the right to marry my fiancée, we will shatter the sanctity of marriage.

The sanctity of marriage?  Really?  How would giving a loving couple the right to marry shatter the sanctity of marriage?


How many celebrity couples can you think of who are divorced?

Let me give you a hand here.  I'll provide a list of celebrity couples who have had short-lived marriages.  I shortened it, because it was getting too long!

Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray: 5 months
Shannen Doherty and Ashley Hamilton: 5 months 
Drew Barrymore and Tom Green: 5 months
Charlie Sheen and Donna Peele: 5 months
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Esposito: 4 months
Renée Zellweger and Kenny Chesney: 4 months
Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson: 4 months
Colin Farrell and Amelia Warner: 4 months
Jennifer Lopez and Cris Judd: 4 months
Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage: 3 months

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries: 72 days
Chris Kattan and Sunshine Tutt: 8 weeks
Ethel Merman and Ernest Borgnine: 32 days
Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds: 2 weeks
Mario Lopez and Ali Landry: 2 weeks
Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman: 6 Days
Britney Spears and Jason Alexander: less than 55 hours

Oh dear, I think it has been proven that the sanctity of marriage was shattered before I ever proposed.
It seems many people think of it as a partnership that lasts as long as the two people can stand each other.

Well, just to be fair, here is a list of the longest opposite sex celebrity marriages.

Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman: 29 years and counting
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson: 23 years and counting
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick: 23 years and counting
John Travolta and Kelly Preston: 20 years and counting

Let's look at some more statistics here.  So, I will just write down how long these same sex celebrity couples have been together since they can't legally marry in the US.

Michael Cashman and Paul Cottingham: over 20 years and counting
John Barrowman and Scott Gill: 18 years and counting
Elton John and David Furnish:18 years and counting
David Sedaris and  Hugh Hamrick: over 10 years and counting
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka: 7 years and counting
Cynthia Nixon and Christine Marinoni: 7 years and counting
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia DeGeneres: 7 years and counting
Alan Cumming and Grant Shaffer: 6 years and counting
Barney Frank and Jim Ready: 6 years and counting

And some short term marriages between same sex couples:

Oh, right, there aren't any.  

All we are asking for is the right to have the people we love recognized by law as our wives or husbands.  
Why?  Well why do opposite sex couples want to get married?

In no particular order at all, here are a list of reasons that pop into my head for why same sex couples want to get married.

It is easier to file one tax return each year instead of two.
Speaking of taxes, we want the tax breaks for being married.
Because we want a family.  Or we already have one and we want it to be recognized.
So when we go to our child's school, we are recognized as a parent of that child.
Because being confined to a waiting room while the person we love is in a hospital bed is painful.
Because when the biological child of our partner is hurt, we want to be able to take them to the doctor and be seen as their mother or father.
So we can qualify for spousal medical and dental insurance.
Because we want to be able to say "This is my wife" or "This is my husband".
Marriage has been proven to prolong life.  We want to live longer!
People who are married report being happier.  Are we not entitled to happiness?
Because it is a lot cheaper to pay for one house.
So we can have a party where all our friends and loved ones come and celebrate that we are together.
Because having an anniversary is kind of like having a second birthday every year!
So when someone tries to pick us up in a bar, we can tell them we're married.
Because hearing that our friends are getting married is hard when we can't plan our own legit wedding.
So we can proudly wear a ring and know that our spouse gave it to us.
Because it is nice to have someone to talk to at the end of the day.
Because we want to spend the rest of our lives with the person we love.

Do you see anything special about this list?  Do you see anything that opposite sex couples don't get when they get married?
No, you don't.  You don't because we don't want anything special or different or unique.  We want what is already defined as marriage.  

Remember learning in your US History class in school about when interracial couples couldn't marry in many states in this country?  A law was passed on June 12, 1967 allowing miscegenation (interracial marriage) in the United States.  

It's about time a law was passed for marriage equality.  A law allowing all persons of legal age and sound mind to marry whomever they want who is also of legal age and sound mind.


So, if you think that allowing someone to marry the person they love will shatter the sanctity of marriage, you are sorely mistaken.

Until Next Time,
JessicaInSeattle

1 comment:

  1. "How would giving a loving couple the right to marry shatter the sanctity of marriage?"

    I think we all know the answer to that question. I'm sure those who oppose this are of the same demographic who were for segregation, preventing minorities from voting, preventing women from voting, and those who still are prejudiced against mixed-race marriages.

    Women can vote, minorities can vote, share a seat in the front of a bus, and marry. It's sad that many politicians still dare not upset the conservative voters, but eventually they will and same-sex couples will be recognised the same as non-same-sex couples.

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