Fulfilling the Meaning, not Redefining

I want to say to the gentleman to my left [Brian Brown], gay people who want to marry have no desire to redefine marriage in any way. When women got the vote they did not redefine voting. When African-Americans got the right to sit at a lunch counter alongside white people, they did not redefine eating out. They were simply invited to the table. We have no desire to change marriage. We want to be entitled to not only the same privileges, but the same responsibilities as straight people.

— Cynthia Nixon [quoted by Steve Pep, "Cynthia Nixon To NOM Pres: 'We Have No Desire To Change Marriage' ", Towleroad, 3 October 2010.]

Posted on October 3, 2010 at 17.33 by jns · Permalink
In: All, Common-Place Book, Faaabulosity

4 Responses

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  1. Written by S.W. Anderson
    on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 at 01.11
    Permalink

    That's an excellent, thoroughly sensible statement. I'm still waiting for the people wrought up at the thought of same-sex couples marrying to explain what the problem is, other than that they don't like the idea.

  2. Written by rightsaidfred
    on Wednesday, 6 October 2010 at 09.14
    Permalink

    Nations and institutions do better when they maintain some exclusivity. Diluting the franchise is seldom a winning strategy.

  3. Written by rightsaidfred
    on Thursday, 7 October 2010 at 14.28
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    I would say to Cynthia Nixon that letting women vote did not redefine the institution, but it did change it, and not necessarily for the better.

    Along with her nifty lunch counter analogy, we should keep in mind that our country added the edifice of affirmative action and a racial spoils system that is problematic in many ways.

  4. Written by rightsaidfred
    on Friday, 8 October 2010 at 07.33
    Permalink

    And so I imagine it would go with gay marriage: heterosexual males will be even less inclined to participate in the institution than they are currently, and single motherhood will become even more pervasive. Let's all ride this social pathology to the bottom. Whee!

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