I really don’t think marriage should be a government or state thing. It’s such a personal decision that I think it should pretty much be treated like a driver’s license. You find someone of age you love, you go to an institution who will marry you both, and then you submit your name change to the government (if you even wish to change your name). You make contracts that protect both of you in case of a divorce (pre-nups, etc), change your address, etc. Basically, what you’d do if you and a friend moved in together - both on the lease, both responsible, both abide by the contract.
Thoughts? I’ve never married and I’m a bastard child, too, so I didn’t deal with that either.
I know there are tax benefits that come with marriage but I honestly don’t know what they all are (I know a few)… but once again, marriage is personal and should be treated as such (that’s not my only reason, of course; if I just went by that reason, then I could argue against myself in regards to having universal healthcare). Marriage, to me, is not a basic right, like owning a car is not a basic right. Both are contracts - human to human, and human to machine. Apologies for the cold analogy but I don’t look at marriage as a bond through God and something outrageously amazing (though if you do, that’s cool, too). I’m a civil union type of person or even the type of person who could spend his life with who he loves without ever engaging in a sort of legal license. After all, Talons has access to my bank account and a lot of my information and vice versa. But we aren’t married. I don’t think marriage is the only way to contract one’s love for another.
And the only reason I would get married in this day and age is for the tax benefits. Otherwise, my promise and devotion are strong enough.
Obviously, I’m for gay marriage - but only because straight people can marry. If marriage weren’t a recognised system by the government and was just a spiritual bonding without anything legal really being done except what I listed above… I’d care less. Because then gays could ‘marry’ as long as someone was willing to marry them. Can’t prevent one group of people from doing something other groups of people can do on the grounds of religious ideologies and prejudice.
I’m rambling. What do you all think?
Having come from a family of divorced parents, and a remarried mother, I agree entirely. Marriage, and while we are at it divorce, are both very personal decisions, the contexts of which vary greatly from person to person. It’s impossible to define what marriage should be, because different people want it to be different things. I also think removing the heavily legal aspects of marriage would make divorce a far less tricky process and much much fewer people would get screwed out of money, property, and children.
Personally, I do want to marry my boyfriend, but more so because of the tradition and the meaning behind the ceremony and the titles of husband and wife. Of course his devotion is enough for me, I just like the merit behind it, the idea that we will be bonded not just by our feelings for each other, but by the blessings of our friends and families as well. Plus, I never turn down a good excuse to party. And I get to wear a fancy dress and everything.
I had the privilege of shooting Taylor Hoff’s home in San Francisco. Such a beautiful and well organized space.
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smith clementi residence | living ~ rios clementi hale studios
