We already went there and did that in '04, and yes, it was funny as f--k.
Joel Send a noteboard - 22/10/2012 09:51:49 PM
I can just picture the uproar from religious couples angry that their marriages are no longer considered "marriages" by the law, but merely "civil unions."
I do wonder if it is feasible from a legislative standpoint, though. There are a lot of laws that refer to marriage and were never intended to refer to civil unions.
I do wonder if it is feasible from a legislative standpoint, though. There are a lot of laws that refer to marriage and were never intended to refer to civil unions.
One of the less remembered footnotes of '04 was Rove and Co. getting gay marriage bans on the ballot in six swing states to push GOP turnout. That probably did more than anything else (even OH restricting voting machines in heavily Democratic Cleveland and Columbus) to re-elect Bush, but the laws were VERY narrowly written to exclude all but heterosexual religious marriages. The effect was exactly what you expected: Millions married by JPs, common law etc. woke the next day to find they had retroactively annulled their own marriages. Who knows; that might be part of why the scales have tipped the other way since.
Legislatively, nothing would be required except a law stating something like "each statutory reference to 'marriage' shall henceforth be understood to civil unions, with all pursuant legal obligations and privileges, and no bearing on or by religious rites." Such simple revisions have a long history as law changed to give women and blacks equal status they previously lacked with white men. Doing it again would be trivial, as evidenced by the fact we have already done it in most other areas.
The best thing about a revision like that described, however, is it does not say, "gay people, too," or reference any particular group, but universally covers everyone. That is ever and always the proper goal in civil rights; explicitly specifying individual groups must be "treated as equal" to others implicitly establishes they are not and leads to things like Plessy v. Ferguson. It pretends others are equal, to salve our conscience and prevent their outrage, while making clear that is only a grudging conceit behind which the same old prejudice lurks as strong as ever. It was enough to affirm all people equal back in 1776; we shamefully failed to live up to that ideal then, but it remains the ideal for which we should strive, precisely because it is universal in the way no other standard can be.
Honorbound and honored to be Bonded to Mahtaliel Sedai
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
For all you supporters of Gay Marriage: What about polygamy?
20/10/2012 12:02:06 AM
- 1382 Views
Legal rights.
20/10/2012 12:14:10 AM
- 785 Views
should be legal, would be nice for poly people. should include polygyny and polyandry. *NM*
20/10/2012 03:29:05 AM
- 383 Views
Government needs to stop legislating morality. So yes *NM*
20/10/2012 03:36:37 AM
- 371 Views
That's a huge chunk of what government does.
20/10/2012 04:35:45 PM
- 713 Views
That's not what I'm saying
21/10/2012 03:21:08 AM
- 732 Views
So you're opposed to abortion and gun control then? Welcome aboard!
21/10/2012 06:14:14 AM
- 682 Views
Why do you keep talking about gay marriage and polygamy in the same sentence..
20/10/2012 03:58:26 AM
- 756 Views
Get a grip. Your response is just what I tried to avoid.
20/10/2012 04:33:40 AM
- 676 Views
The more fool you.
21/10/2012 05:55:30 AM
- 771 Views
This, and legal recognition of it, is precisely why marriage has become an Equal Protection issue.
22/10/2012 03:40:01 PM
- 706 Views
Because they are both violations of the paradigm of genuine marriage. Like it or not.
21/10/2012 05:49:32 AM
- 659 Views
I have no problem with polygamy being legal, but marriage is a privilege and can be limited to two.
20/10/2012 04:16:08 AM
- 769 Views
The only problem with that is that it was established with a heterosexist assumption
21/10/2012 06:33:32 AM
- 725 Views
From a legal perspective, all of your arguments are irrelevant
21/10/2012 03:12:39 PM
- 833 Views
This really is blatantly obvious, but still it might bear repeating...
21/10/2012 04:43:13 PM
- 723 Views
Yes, but only if its equal. Multi-people relationships should be more acceptable by society.
20/10/2012 05:15:24 AM
- 775 Views
"Polygamy" is the all-inclusive term; whether or not he meant it, he said it.
22/10/2012 04:31:09 PM
- 669 Views
I support autogamy in addition to various forms of exogenic relationships
20/10/2012 05:49:07 AM
- 700 Views
Have you seen the Glee episode where Sue Sylvester conducts a marriage of herself to herself? *NM*
20/10/2012 09:50:32 AM
- 373 Views
I am fine with it if all existing parties to the marriage consent to each addition.
20/10/2012 10:10:19 AM
- 774 Views
The case for polygamy has really weakened rather than strenghtened, you might say.
20/10/2012 03:53:34 PM
- 874 Views
I have no problem with it, but as Amy says, it's not really relevant. *NM*
20/10/2012 05:40:50 PM
- 397 Views
Legalize polygamy and create a familymaking process, but don't cover polygamy under marriage.
20/10/2012 10:14:58 PM
- 697 Views
The state shouldn't even recognize marriage beyond name changes anyway
21/10/2012 03:52:40 AM
- 747 Views
Indeed
21/10/2012 06:04:41 AM
- 805 Views
I don't give a damn what you call it. That's your business.
21/10/2012 06:17:40 AM
- 1079 Views
And so?
21/10/2012 07:05:08 AM
- 708 Views
Re: And so?
21/10/2012 04:10:19 PM
- 876 Views
So can we call it garriage, give the same legal effect and call it good? *NM*
22/10/2012 03:28:33 AM
- 377 Views
According to your argument we could afford gay couples the same legal privileges...
22/10/2012 03:20:17 AM
- 640 Views
"...separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
22/10/2012 04:45:31 PM
- 703 Views
That may well be the ideal solution. And also the most ironically amusing in how it would fail.
22/10/2012 07:35:05 PM
- 672 Views
We already went there and did that in '04, and yes, it was funny as f--k.
22/10/2012 09:51:49 PM
- 621 Views
Agreed in principle, but custody/cohabitation/assets go well beyond name change.
22/10/2012 04:37:09 PM
- 678 Views
This is the sort of thing that *needs* to be about principle
23/10/2012 04:54:10 AM
- 610 Views
Parental, property and other rights need government protection, and thus government involvement.
23/10/2012 05:14:37 AM
- 659 Views
Legal contracts must be open to all consenting adults, or none.
22/10/2012 03:11:55 PM
- 756 Views
You are correct, yet your reasoning is flawed.
23/10/2012 03:20:25 PM
- 683 Views
Again, the Equal Protection Clause has far less force on private entities than on government.
23/10/2012 03:52:06 PM
- 620 Views
Much less force, yes.
23/10/2012 04:15:03 PM
- 623 Views
The crux is "If it's my business, it's my business."
23/10/2012 04:43:25 PM
- 698 Views
Re: The crux is "If it's my business, it's my business."
23/10/2012 07:15:17 PM
- 639 Views
Like you said: By referring to "all invididuals" (or, better, "persons" or "citizens.")
24/10/2012 04:14:55 PM
- 664 Views
But we know very well that it doesn't have dire commercial consequences.
25/10/2012 07:17:55 PM
- 717 Views
I have several friends who practice polyamory, if they wanted to marry I would support it. *NM*
24/10/2012 06:47:58 PM
- 346 Views