Gay marriage is Legal in California! Now what does that mean for us? Let’s first talk about same-sex marriage. According to the Hunter College Poll conducted in 2007, queer identified people between the ages of 18-25 place “marriage rights” as the most important issue far above hate crime legislation, domestic partner benefits and AIDS funding. A possible explanation for our love of marriage is probably our yearning to settle down with a warm body after a long 4+ years of grueling college classes and an exhausting social calendar. Or maybe, as most of my friends tell me in their not so comforting ways during my existential freak-outs when I complain about going to another wedding, “We are just at that age so just get over it.” Marriage, like the ability to rent a car or understanding the cultural references made by VH1’s “Remember when” shows, just comes with the territory of being a 20-something no matter your sexuality.
All right, so marriage is in the cards for our generation. What about the institution’s relevance among people of color? The William’s Institute at UCLA estimated nearly 780,000 same-sex couples in the United States. Nearly 9% of those couples identified as black, 11% Hispanic and 2% Asian. Committed couples of color are present and ready for equal recognition under the law and most couples of color live in places like South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia where marriage equality seems like a distant dream. Let’s add this all up, shall we? Committed couples of color exist in vast numbers + those who are culturally old enough to get married want to get married + the basic message from marriage equality is positive and progressive = marriage equality is an important issue among queer youth.
All right, so marriage is in the cards for our generation. What about the institution’s relevance among people of color? The William’s Institute at UCLA estimated nearly 780,000 same-sex couples in the United States. Nearly 9% of those couples identified as black, 11% Hispanic and 2% Asian. Committed couples of color are present and ready for equal recognition under the law and most couples of color live in places like South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia where marriage equality seems like a distant dream. Let’s add this all up, shall we? Committed couples of color exist in vast numbers + those who are culturally old enough to get married want to get married + the basic message from marriage equality is positive and progressive = marriage equality is an important issue among queer youth.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment