With the new year comes wonderful new quirks. Right outta the gate comes the fun consequence of an America ‘Almost-Equal-But-Compromise-Makes-A-Monster.’ California’s gay community might not get all the privileges of marriage, but they do get access to all the fun of divorce. The Los Angeles Times says that “Sociologists have suggested that the rights and responsibilities of marriage benefit both partners.” Neat. It’s good news for lawyers. According to a member of one gay couple: “It is very, very confusing. We need lawyers to figure out what to do.” I hope they mean the judicial code. First person to say ‘See, they are ruining marriage’ is going to get my foot up their ass.
President Bush said in a speech last February that that “marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots” without weakening society. The San Francisco Chronicle had a nice discussion around that time, and hopefully, some nice longitudinal studies are on the way–Putting the morals aside, a great chance to see how changes in the social structure might shift the norms and practices of everyday folk.
Within the article, Esther Rothblum, a psychology professor at University of Vermont who is conducting a study on civil unions in Vermont in 2000-2001, said that “Heterosexuals get more socialization to marry. They are much more likely to have children and it’s easier to break up relationships if you don’t want children… Heterosexuals also have legal marriage and up to that point gays and lesbians did not.”
Also: Is anyone else amazed that Montana’s public universities must provide their gay employees with insurance coverage for their domestic partners?