I've realized recently that I have very mixed feelings on marriage, not just "gay" marriage. A few of my young friends (early 20s) have gotten married and every time I can't help but cringe. I always feel like they're giving in to social pressures and expectations, and I especially can't help but look down on my female friends who do this before even bothering to have a career and do something themselves. NOT saying there's anything wrong with being a mother and having a family, but in this day and age (well, in nice countries) there's more for a woman to do than go through the biological ropes.
This also informs my opinion on same-sex marriages. This is my personal opinion so you don't need to come for me, I get the other ways of looking at it (and sometimes I feel the same way), but it feels a lot like same-sex couples trying to conform to the archetypal male-female relationship. By getting married, same-sex couples can feel "just like their straight counterparts". Since openly gay relationships are a relatively new phenomenon, shouldn't those within them strive to find their own meaning and basis for their relationship? There's no precedent for gay couples, so why adopt the same stereotypes and beliefs held by straights? Or are they at the heart of it the same?
Discuss.
