What he said.
Jun. 17th, 2008 08:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snousleNayland more or less wrote today's post for me here.
All I would add is, if you're married, you're married. Saying you don't have a marriage because the state won't grant you a marriage license is like saying you don't have a dog because the county won't grant you a dog license. Um, no, you either have a dog, or you don't. Same with marriage. The state offers certain rights and formalities, but the fact of the matter does not change.
It is a great disservice, therefore, to say that gay men "cannot get married". What a total capitulation to government control. Boo.
But still, it is wonderful to have a moment when the state does recognize reality, if only for a brief period. I'm definitely not looking forward to November, though.
This is going to be a very strange period. I don't think anything can be done about it; this is not a political issue in which "strategy" even has any meaning, since it seems to have a life of its own. Any point at which the denial of marriage can be challenged is being challenged by somebody, and that de-facto lack of restraint and tactical compromise could well lead to failure. The pro-marriage battle does not seem to be under any sort of rational control at this point, and there is no single person or organization that could change this. I'm hearing various sources say "Please don't try to establish the validity of these marriages in other states just yet", but I suspect that's completely futile. The train has left the station without knowing a whole lot about the track ahead.
I've heard a fair bit of casual conversation around town on this subject - such as down at the Harley dealership, where my bike is currently getting new tires - and the only negative theme I'm picking up is one of resignation. It seems hard to rain on this parade right now.
We'll see how it goes.
All I would add is, if you're married, you're married. Saying you don't have a marriage because the state won't grant you a marriage license is like saying you don't have a dog because the county won't grant you a dog license. Um, no, you either have a dog, or you don't. Same with marriage. The state offers certain rights and formalities, but the fact of the matter does not change.
It is a great disservice, therefore, to say that gay men "cannot get married". What a total capitulation to government control. Boo.
But still, it is wonderful to have a moment when the state does recognize reality, if only for a brief period. I'm definitely not looking forward to November, though.
This is going to be a very strange period. I don't think anything can be done about it; this is not a political issue in which "strategy" even has any meaning, since it seems to have a life of its own. Any point at which the denial of marriage can be challenged is being challenged by somebody, and that de-facto lack of restraint and tactical compromise could well lead to failure. The pro-marriage battle does not seem to be under any sort of rational control at this point, and there is no single person or organization that could change this. I'm hearing various sources say "Please don't try to establish the validity of these marriages in other states just yet", but I suspect that's completely futile. The train has left the station without knowing a whole lot about the track ahead.
I've heard a fair bit of casual conversation around town on this subject - such as down at the Harley dealership, where my bike is currently getting new tires - and the only negative theme I'm picking up is one of resignation. It seems hard to rain on this parade right now.
We'll see how it goes.
