CATEGORY: Marriage

Being a gay married man in 2005, the issue of marriage is much on my mind and on my heart, and thus I have written a lot about it. These articles range from philosophical arguments, legal/political arguments, moral arguments, commentary on current events, and occasional personal musings on married life. All in all, I seek to present the viewpoint that marriage is good for gay people as well as straight people.

• Another Plessy. Thoughts on the disappointing marriage decision in New York.
• Marrying Snakes and other Pink Herrings. The tired federal marriage amendment fails again; and a WSJ editor's assinine remark about gay marriage leading to people marrying snakes.
• Polygamy Is In The Air. A plethora of good arguments against the unexamined "slippery slope".
• Veto. Schwarzenegger vetoes California same-sex marriage bill.
• An Open Letter to Governor Schwarzenegger. Urging him not to veto California's same-sex marriage legislation.
• A Great Moment, Perhaps Short-lived. California Legislature becomes first in the nation to enact same-sex marriage, though the Governor looks likely to veto.
• California Marriage, Here We Come? California moves closer to becoming the first state to enact same-sex marriage without a court mandate.
• Three Cheers for the Calif Supreme Court. A trifecta of newly settled case law positively reaffirming the rights and responsibilities of same-sex parents.
• Legal Facsimile of Marriage. Jumping through legal hoops to create some facsimile of the legal forms of marriage, and whether it's good enough.
• The "In-Laws" Parsing Us. More musings on how our family refers to us.
• Parsing Marriage, Husband, and In-Laws. Musings on getting comfortable (or not) with using the words "marriage", "husband", and "in-law".
• The Best Interests of the Children. The West Virginia Supreme Court knows family when it sees one, awarding custody to a lesbian co-parent.
• Save Marriage and Textbooks at the Same Time! A parliamentary maneuver may give the California gay marriage bill a second chance. (And just might preempt a misguided measure about textbooks.)
• Close But Not Yet. California Assembly closely fails to pass a gay marriage bill.
• Let Freedom and Wedding Bells Ring. A summary of the findings of the San Francisco Superior Court overwhelmingly in favor of marriage equality.
• Slippery Slope from Traditional Marriage to Polygamy. Contrary to conventional wisdom, it is traditional marriage, with its gender-specific roles, that is just a step away from polygamy.
• His and Hers Spousal Duties? A response to David Frum's assertion that same-sex marriage is making gender-specific marriage roles "unthinkable".
• 50 Ways to Leave your Partner. A look at how various judges in different states are handling the issue of dissolving civil unions, and dealing with child custody.
• For Better or Worse. A useful definition of what marriage is (a response to confused analytic philosophers who think that it is a "union of a man and a woman for bearing children").
• Old Ideology of Evil. A response to the Pope's comments about same-sex marriage in his recent book.
• Similarly Situated, or When Dogs Can Vote. An analysis of legal discrimination and how it can and should apply to same-sex marriage (and a response to the notion that "allowing gays to marry is analogous to letting dogs vote").
• Marriage Builds Character. How marriage contributes to the virtues of altruism and responsibility.
• Marriage, Childbearing and Childrearing. Arguing against the common fallacy that marriage is for childrearing, childbearing is inherently heterosexual, therefore marriage is inherently heterosexual.
• Traditional Values in Canada. Pointer to the United Church of Canada's statement on equal marriage, showing that traditional values can lead some people to welcome equal marriage.
• Can a Conservative Support Gay Marriage? Rebuttal to the assertion that "no conservative could support gay marriage" (and "no liberal could support slavery").