Reading Reflection #7

"There is some concern that if the movement to legalize same-sex marriage is effective it will reinforce the idea that the only legitimate intimate relationship is marriage and therefore may actually limit the diversity of "acceptable" relationships rather than expand it"
-Identities and Inequalites: Inequalities in the Law and Justice

This concept that Newman presents in Chapter 7 is one that I am not very familiar with. I have always been someone who thought they believed in gay marriage however that is the extend into which I have delved into this issue. This chapter brought up several interesting arguments as to what way legalizing gay marriage could go. I understand, as the chapter discusses, that some gays askew marriage because they view it as an "oppressive system" (238) as have some heterosexual couples. I have always thought that heterosexual people took marriage for granted however and that it should be available to everyone. I had not previously thought about the limits that marriage imposes on relationships. It loosely can be connected to issues of sexuality. Should there be a dichotomy, gay and straight, or can sexuality be looked at on a spectrum. The same concept could be applied to marriage. The book seems to be saying that marriage would make other relationships less legitimate, there would be single and married, however there are so many more intimate arraignments that people desire and this chapter made me aware of such.