Legal Protection for Same Sex CouplesWritten by Johnette Duff
Has anyone considered a compromise solution to issue of legalization of same-sex marriages? As an attorney who has spent years conducting research on advantages and disadvantages of marriage vs. living together, my viewpoint is a legal one, unobscured by religious or moral questions. Legal recognition of a status for these couples is called for, as is their current need for self-help in making laws work for them while they are still in flux. Traditionally and legally, marriage has been defined as a union of a man and woman. Changing that definition is at heart of problem. Marriage, throughout history, has had more to do with procreation than romantic love or legal convenience. This legal definition and issue of procreation have both been used to bolster denial of right of same-sex marriage. What same-sex couples need, and should have, is ability to form a legal relationship. The semantics used to describe this relationship should not matter as much as rights and duties arising from it. Denial of these rights is discrimination same-sex couples decry. We should not forget that only during last generation was denial of right of marriage to members of different races overturned. The law is meant to serve needs of members of society - including same-sex couples. My compromise solution is a law which allows same-sex couples right to a legal relationship without hot-button title of “marriage.” With a simple change of terms, these couples could become legal “domestic partners” which confer same rights and duties of their state’s marriage contract. Similar licensing statutes could be enacted, along with inevitable relationship dissolution laws.
| | Congratulations--You're Human!Written by Maya Talisman Frost
Are you feeling depressed? Do you feel disconnected from others? Have you been feeling confused about meaning of your life?CONGRATULATIONS! You're human. In our culture, we have taught ourselves that feeling any kind of despair is a sign of weakness. We do all that we can to keep ourselves so busy we won't notice how we really feel. It's sad that our ideas of what is healthy are too often shaped by advertising from drug companies. The fact is that VAST majority of those who feel above "symptoms" are absolutely normal. Our feelings of depression, disconnection and despair (so many D-words...) are simply signs that we need to reevaluate way we are living. Something is out of balance, and we feel it deep down.
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