Would you like to get married?

[princealbertofb]

I think we have to stop asking for 'gay marriage' an 'same-sex marriage.' because we keep putting ourselves on the outer merely because of terminalogy.

Gay marriage or same sex marriage doesn't make us equal...MARRIAGE makes us equal.

Having said that, in my eyes there is really no value in marriage. When 2 people love each other and share their lives, they don't need a peice of paper affirming that. As for the legalities, that's why we have De-Facto status.

That doesn't mean that I think it is a waste of time fighting for marriage rights because eveyone deserve the right to be married if it is their desire, everyone deserves the right to be happy.

I agree with you on the terminology, Krupt. "Marriage" should suffice. However, the institution can cover very different things depending on which society you live in, because, precisely, it's NOT just a piece of paper. It's a contract (I daresay it is in all societies) and this contract affords some benefits (which do depend on the country in which you are considered married) and some obligations, of course. Therefore it is more bonding than just 'living with' another person, what we call 'concubinage' (not sure the word exists in English) or being 'concubines' (from the Latin: "sharing a common bed"). Being concubines has practically no state or legal recognition and is even despised in some cultures.

It's basically everyone's choice to be celibate, not to get married, to have a sex life or a common life with a partner, in some cases to have a civil partnership (in France for instance, this status is afforded to same-sex and opposite sex couples, contrary to the UK, though it does not afford the same rights as British civil partnerships -- it's a step up, legally, from just being bed/living partners), or to be married (where marriage is legal and recognised).

Our societies have improved, to a certain extent in that they now recognise different levels of involvement and implication of one person with another person's life, be it to form and raise a family, or to pass on assets and property, or to secure various forms of benefits for both partners etc... It's incredibly complex. But some partnerships are still at risk of not having certain benefits even though they may think they've acquired them just from 'living together' with someone. Often, that's misguided and ignorant. The law still makes distinctions.

[princealbertofb]

To answer the original poster's question, the answer is Yes, I'm considering it for the reasons I've stated above.

[Kiid]

Only if it's a female celebrant marrying me and my other. I don't like what 'traditional' marriage has become. And the bigots that talk about the traditional marriage ball. I want to get married in a forrest under large trees!

[princealbertofb]

Only if it's a female celebrant marrying me and my other. I don't like what 'traditional' marriage has become. And the bigots that talk about the traditional marriage ball. I want to get married in a forrest under large trees!

Should be possible, now that NZ has joined the clan...

[megumidesu]

I would say no, because I don't believe in the idea of marriage in its entirety. I feel that if two people love eachother and do in-fact never cheat, then why get married?

there are legal benefits to being married

[Grey]

I think I like the idea of someone wanting to marry me more than the actual idea of marriage. I've been proposed to by four guys, said yes twice, and never been married. It just never worked out.

[megumidesu]

Got a list handy?

well ... i got married and now i have step parent rights and responsibilities etc over my wife's daughter , which will make it much easier to adopt her later on

here are some other things :

http://people.howstuffworks.com/marriage1.htm

[Dan1980]

I would love to get married to Mr Right.

[Rosie]

I am married. My lovely wife and I decided to sneak off to New York and marry without telling a soul. It was beautiful, we were married at city hall and congratulated by strangers (including a cute little gay man who literally chased us down to let us know how happy he was for us), then we had a photo shoot in Central Park. After that we went to Chinatown for dinner and then in not-so-typical fashion shared our wedding cake with several homeless men that we came across on the way back to our hotel (it's not like we needed an entire cake for just the two of us, & and they turned out to all be extremely sweet). For us the idea of eloping was more romantic than throwing an elaborate wedding, it also meant that we were able to use the majority of our wedding budget on the honeymoon!
We didn't choose to marry so much for the legal benefits (our state of residence does not recognize same-sex marriage) but more so as a commitment to one another and as a way to show others that we are devoted to each other. I also feel that it makes us more willing to work together when times get tough, we have made a very serious commitment and will do everything that we can to make sure that it works out. Dating just isn't the same to me.

[jimcrackcorn]

After my husband and I got married last year, we are now able to define what our relationship is in terms that most people understand and can relate to. Prior to being married, we answered peoples questions concerning our relationship in various ways by saying we are partners, mates, lovers, long time friends, etc. None of these answers conveyed the significance of our relationship in other peoples eyes .

Marriage is recognized world wide as a special bond between two people and is respected. Marriage is also a status symbol that places your relationship in a special class that says you are a mature adult that can handle responsibilities and be dependable. Example: Job applications/loan applications are more acceptable when you state your married.

Marriage gives legitimacy to your relationship. Society stops viewing you in a purely sexual way as a man sleeping with another man,,, or a woman sleeping with another woman. They start seeing you as a married couple with joint banking accounts, joint homeownership, joint credit cards, joint bills, etc.... They see you as just another couple trying to carve out a life for each other - instead of just the type of sex your having.

Marriage brings respectability to your relationship also. People in our society still give marriage a lot of credence even though the divorce rate is hovering around 50%.

For me, marriage is a good thing, and I cherish my marriage and the man I married.