TheProgressivePatriot
Platinum Member
Same Sex Marriage, Single Rights and the Abolition of Marriage
This tread started with the question Are there ways to separate gay marriage and benefits from government and still protect people equally.? This would, of course mean that there would no longer be legal or secular marriage since only government can confer legal rights. It is about time that someone actually presented some facts rather than continuing to bloviate about what one thinks could be accomplished, how it could be done and what the ultimate outcome would look like.
I never really took the subject of the abolition of marriage very seriously, but the notion keeps coming up and apparently is not going away. I will start by saying that I discovered, while I have been dismissing it as a product of the lunatic fringe who are motivated by denying gays legal marriage, or have an ax to grind over the admittedly shoddy treatment of single people, there are some who do in fact take it very seriously and there is more momentum for it than I though. My most startling discovery was there is this strange convergence of the issues of same sex marriage, singles rights and the demise of marriage as we know it. Case in point- a piece written by someone who does in fact believe that same sex marriage will lead to the demise of marriage itself via the single rights âmovementâ but with dire, unintended consequences and is therefore saying that we need to rethink support for marriage equality:
She continues
So theory has it that same sex marriage will, Or at least may, lead to the demise of marriage itself. However, is it by design on the part of pro-gay and/or single rights activists, is it being pushed by the anti-gay activists, or as the result of some sort of spontaneous combustion process? The article continues:
So this author thinks itâs the gay rights activists with the help of single advocates:
She is again saying that there will be dire consequences if marriage is abolished which will come about as the result of singles demanding rights because of the expansion of marriage rights to gays, but so far has not substantiated the claim made earlier that it is the gay marriage advocated that are the primary force behind abolishing marriage
And
In that earlier article in the Federalist by the same author and referenced above, she wrote:
And again discusses the down side of abolishing marriage:
And the signs that this is upon usâŚ..
Regardless of the meaning of any of this, I find it questionable that these forces are formidable enough to add up to the abolition of legal marriage or that the LGBT movement would be to blame if it did come to that. Finally, while some legal theorists believe that there is no constitutional right to marriage, I continue to stress the belief that the idea of abolishing legal marriage is politically and socially wrongheaded, and will not solve any issues or make life better in any way.
This tread started with the question Are there ways to separate gay marriage and benefits from government and still protect people equally.? This would, of course mean that there would no longer be legal or secular marriage since only government can confer legal rights. It is about time that someone actually presented some facts rather than continuing to bloviate about what one thinks could be accomplished, how it could be done and what the ultimate outcome would look like.
I never really took the subject of the abolition of marriage very seriously, but the notion keeps coming up and apparently is not going away. I will start by saying that I discovered, while I have been dismissing it as a product of the lunatic fringe who are motivated by denying gays legal marriage, or have an ax to grind over the admittedly shoddy treatment of single people, there are some who do in fact take it very seriously and there is more momentum for it than I though. My most startling discovery was there is this strange convergence of the issues of same sex marriage, singles rights and the demise of marriage as we know it. Case in point- a piece written by someone who does in fact believe that same sex marriage will lead to the demise of marriage itself via the single rights âmovementâ but with dire, unintended consequences and is therefore saying that we need to rethink support for marriage equality:
Why Singles Rights And Same-Sex Marriage Will Abolish All Marriage By Stella Morabito Selected excerpts and comments
A response to âsinglesâ rightsâ advocates on the importance of marriage to society.
Americans are generally people of goodwill who try to keep the golden rule. I think thatâs why the term âequalityâ has such resonance for so many of us. But as we move farther down the path called âmarriage equality,â I believe a greater dose of skepticism is in order by all freedom-loving Americans, whatever their perspective on the issue.
Thatâs because one particular cross-current rooted in the same-sex marriage movement promises to dominate the aftermath, shift us all away from the idea of freedom to marry, and place us all into system more akin to hard left central planning. Itâs a little movement that goes by the moniker âsinglesâ rightsâ or sometimes âunmarried equality.â Letâs not fall into a trap here. We need to think this through.
She continues
I recently argued in The Federalist that same-sex marriage is merely a vehicle to abolish all civil marriage, and with it, all family autonomy. I predicted that âsinglesâ activistsâ would try to finish the job by using those same âmarriage equalityâ arguments to claim that all civil discriminates against singles and therefore should be abolished. Lo and behold, a singlesâ activist, author of the book âSinglism,â and blogger for Psychology Today, Bella DePaulo, confirmed exactly that in her critique of my Federalist article, âWelcome to Selfie Nation.â Hereâs what she said: âMorabito says that what I really want is âto abolish marriage without saying so.â Thatâs not quite right. Iâm happy to say so.â http://thefederalist.com/2014/10/29/why-singles-rights-and-same-sex-marriage-will-abolish-all-marriage/
As for me connecting âsinglesâ rightsâ with the same-sex marriage movement, DePaulo had this to say by way of confirmation:
The author picks up on an argument I have been making for some time â that single people are targets of institutionalized, legalized discrimination in the form of the 1,000+ federal laws that protect and benefit only those who are legally married. She also accurately notes that my argument, and that of many other like-minded critics, has roots in the same-sex marriage movement.
So theory has it that same sex marriage will, Or at least may, lead to the demise of marriage itself. However, is it by design on the part of pro-gay and/or single rights activists, is it being pushed by the anti-gay activists, or as the result of some sort of spontaneous combustion process? The article continues:
If a little coterie of activists who claim to speak for all singles gets its way, the Supreme Court may soon consider declaring all marriage unconstitutional.
That is the whole point of same-sex marriage, at least as far as such singlesâ activistsâand likely most LGBT activistsâare concerned: to lay the groundwork for abolishing it altogether.
So this author thinks itâs the gay rights activists with the help of single advocates:
That is the whole point of same-sex marriage, at least as far as such singlesâ activistsâand likely most LGBT activistsâare concerned: to lay the groundwork for abolishing it altogether.
She is again saying that there will be dire consequences if marriage is abolished which will come about as the result of singles demanding rights because of the expansion of marriage rights to gays, but so far has not substantiated the claim made earlier that it is the gay marriage advocated that are the primary force behind abolishing marriage
And with it, all family autonomy and family privacy will have to go. Whether you are a left-wing true believer in central planning and control, someone who has accepted the mantra of âmarriage equalityâ for same -marriage, or someone who has accepted the final step of this strange journeyâthat married âprivilegeâ should be abolishedâthe path will be set and the outcome will be the same.
And
âŚâŚmy central argument that it is bad for the state to completely disregard family bonds, and thereby legally isolate each and every individual, single and married alike, from the autonomous sanctuary of families.__________________________________________________
In that earlier article in the Federalist by the same author and referenced above, she wrote:
Abolishing all civil marriage is the primary goal of the elites who have been pushing same sex marriage. The scheme called âmarriage equalityâ is not an end in itself, and never really has been. The LGBT agenda has spawned too many other disparate agendas hostile to the existence of marriage, making marriage âunsustainable,â if you will. By now we should be able to hear the growing drumbeat to abolish civil marriage, as well as to legalize polygamy and all manner of reproductive technologies. http://thefederalist.com/2014/04/09/bait-and-switch-how-same-sex-marriage-ends-marriage-and-family-autonomy/
And again discusses the down side of abolishing marriage:
âŚâŚ..whether they know it or not, advocacy for same sex marriage is putting a lot of statist machinery into motion. Because once the state no longer has to recognize your marriage and family, the state no longer has to respect the existence of your marriage and family.
Without civil marriage, the family can no longer exist autonomously and serve as a wall of separation between the individual and the state. This has huge implications for the survival of freedom of association.
And the signs that this is upon usâŚ..
Six Indicators Weâre Headed Directly for Abolishing Civil Marriage
We can sort out six developments that indicate weâre on the fast track to abolishing civil marriage. They include: 1) The blueprint for abolishing family, developed by the founder of feminist legal theory, Martha Fineman; 2) support and advocacy of Finemanâs model by facilitators and regulators in the Obama Administration; 3) the statements of prominent LGBT activists themselves, including their 2006 manifesto which in effect established the abolition of marriage as the goal of the same sex marriage movement; 4) the demographic shift to single rather than married households; 5) the growing shift in social climate from marriage equality to marriage hostility; and 6) the recent push to export the LGBT agenda globally, particularly targeting poor and developing nations of Africa.
Regardless of the meaning of any of this, I find it questionable that these forces are formidable enough to add up to the abolition of legal marriage or that the LGBT movement would be to blame if it did come to that. Finally, while some legal theorists believe that there is no constitutional right to marriage, I continue to stress the belief that the idea of abolishing legal marriage is politically and socially wrongheaded, and will not solve any issues or make life better in any way.
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