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Thoughts for UUs: Beyond Marriage

EverChanging

Well-Known Member
I have posted this elsewhere, but wanted to get perspectives from UUs as well:

I have become captivated with the possibilities of going beyond marriage in our legal system to accomodate various family structures, including polyamorous family structures and even families consisting of non-conjugal partners. Some ideas about how diverse families can be accomodated can be found at this link. Thoughts?
 

EverChanging

Well-Known Member
Further thoughts....I am gay, and our civil rights our so important to me. Same-sex marriage is also important to the transgendered and intersex communities -- intersex infants surgically assigned a gender are sometimes assigned the wrong gender. Therefore, an intersex child who has been assigned a female sex may grow up with a male gender identity and have a heterosexual orientation (gender identity is innate, according to the evidence.) That male (legal female) would be denied marriage to his partner.

But even after same-sex marriage goes through, and I think it will in America within the next ten years, I don't know that I will ever marry until all families can be accomodated.
 

bicker

Unitarian Universalist
I think a number of people are pedestrian enough to be freaked out by such prospects, but I think for folks to presume that "today's issues" (i.e., ecology, economic justice, affirmation of GLBT people, the veneration of reason, reasonable perspectives on sexuality, etc.) are the last issues that UUs need to concern themselves with is ridiculous, and I see no reason to think that some of the marriage formats outlined here shouldn't be as readily respected by society as any others.
 

Buttons*

Glass half Panda'd
May I ask you something? How does the UU church feel about 1st cousins marrying? Do you think this kind of marriage should also be open for business?

I'm not trying to prove anything, I'm not trying to upset people, I just want to know if inter-family marriage between two consenting adults would be ok.
 

bicker

Unitarian Universalist
The UU principles direct us to "heed the guidance of reason and the results of science". Since marriage among close kin can increase the chance of pathological recessive genes meeting up, reason and science counter-indicates such unions.
 

Buttons*

Glass half Panda'd
The UU principles direct us to "heed the guidance of reason and the results of science". Since marriage among close kin can increase the chance of pathological recessive genes meeting up, reason and science counter-indicates such unions.

I have just one more question then, what about homosexual couples that are closely related? There is little chance that they will have offspring together with their own genes... so would it be ok if they got married?
 

Trey of Diamonds

Well-Known Member
I have just one more question then, what about homosexual couples that are closely related? There is little chance that they will have offspring together with their own genes... so would it be ok if they got married?

Yes it would be fine. Incest has always been about genetic dangers as opposed to social faux pas.
 

Buttons*

Glass half Panda'd
Yes it would be fine. Incest has always been about genetic dangers as opposed to social faux pas.

Well sure, but genetic dangers don't always happen when families intermarry. Sometimes the kids come out just fine. I mean, we can't tell people who can have kids and who can't. If we do that, should we also discourage or illegalise people who have mental disorders, physical disorders, and cancers from reproducing? It could be passed onto children... If this doesn't suit the discussion, I'll make another thread on it.
 

EverChanging

Well-Known Member
Well sure, but genetic dangers don't always happen when families intermarry. Sometimes the kids come out just fine. I mean, we can't tell people who can have kids and who can't. If we do that, should we also discourage or illegalise people who have mental disorders, physical disorders, and cancers from reproducing? It could be passed onto children... If this doesn't suit the discussion, I'll make another thread on it.

I have heard it argued that a person with a genetic mutation should have the right to pro-create because there is not a person with which she or he can pro-create without passing on the gene, and telling people with genetic mutations that they cannot pro-create would open up a big can of worms.

On the other hand, people desiring incestuous relations could always pro-create with someone outside of their close family. That option is not available to someone with the mutation.

The contract system which could encompass all family structures, not just conjugal or romantic relationships, could benefit families -- for instance, a brother and sister living together, or an adult child caring for a parent, but that doesn't mean incestuous pro-creating would become legal.

The system would also be able to benefit polygamous families, polyamorous families, co-habitating couples who may not be conjugal partners, extended families, friends and/or family living together who care for each other and are financially independent, etc.

In other words, monogamous, romantic partnerships would not be given legal recognition over any other family structure.
 
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