According to Merriam-Webster online, "marriage is defined as
(1) : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law
(2) : the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage {same-sex marriage}
Emphasis mine.
This rant is not about Biblical prohibitions against same-sex copulation.
This is not a tirade about homosexuals or bisexuals or any other *sexual that is considered "deviant."
It is about a word.
Marriage.
I don't care if Female A cohabits with Female B (or even Females B, C, and D), nor do I care if Male Z cohabits with Male Y and, like the females, Males Y, X, and W. Given the AIDS/HIV situation I would hope the relationships are monogamous or at least that "safe sex" is practiced, but frankly, Scarlett . . .
But the word, marriage, for a "non-traditional" arrangement bothers me.
Grant all the privileges of wedlock to a same sex partner, most especially in a medical (hospital) setting where empathy and sympathy are critical healing factors. Employer recognition of the "permanent partner" should be a given.
But don't call this relationship "marriage."
Marriage is a relationship that, to my mind, ought to remain in the traditional sense - a man and a woman.
Call homosexual lasting liaisons "partnerships" or "couples, or just "lovers." Allow the government to sanction these arrangements as it sanctions traditional marriages. If a church or mosque or an ashram wants to create a ceremony to sanctify the relationship, so be it.
But don't call it "marriage."
I suppose with the divorce rate being what it is - for "married" couples as well as "permanent partnerships" - maybe the whole concept needs rethinking.
But until that day, let the definition of "marriage" remain the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law and let everything else be called something else - anything BUT marriage.
