No Such Thing as a Traditional Marriage Anymore
There is no such thing as a “traditional marriage” anymore. Marriage has changed quite a bit over the past 300 or so years.
In 1691, only White people were allowed to marry.
In 1724, black people were allowed to marry each other (with permission of their slave owner of course). Marriage was sought after by Black men and they fought to have the right to have a wife.
In 1769, women were still legal property of their husbands. Even if a woman inherited property and money from her family, it was transferred to and under the sole control of her husband.
In 1899, they finally got around to banning polygamous marriage. No laws were on the books to legally ban it until then!
In 1900, women were finally allowed to own property of their own.
In 1965, contraception became legal for married couples.
In 1967, interracial couples were finally given the right to marry.
In 1975, women were allowed to have credit in their own names, not just through their husband as Mr. & Mrs. Robert Smith.
In 1981, men were finally NOT the sole legal owners of everything they and their spouses accumulated during marriage. Ownership became a joint affair.
In 1976, Nebraska became the first state to criminalize marital rape. In 1993, it was finally made illegal to rape your wife in all 50 states. Until then there was no such thing as marital rape, and sexual abuse could not be prosecuted.
So, should we revert back to “traditional marriage” in America? With Only White people marrying each other, with women having the same amount of rights as a man’s dog? I don’t think so!
Conservatives cry that change means the whole world is going to hell in a handbasket!
With EVERY STEP in this process, religious conservatives have made a fuss, claiming that (__fill in new idea here__) will be THE END OF THE WORLD and that everything was going to HELL IN A HAND BASKET and that it was PERVERTED AND WRONG and it would RUIN OUR COMMUNITIES BLAH BLAH BLAH..
And you know what? Sanity prevailed. Marriage evolved. Nobody died, nobody got hurt. (Except of course for the people who got beaten in the anti-interracial marriage and integration riots, of course.)
Gay marriage is just the next step in a logical chain of giving more people than straight, white, christian guys some real rights in this country. Nothing more or less.
As expected, conservatives will make a fuss about that too, like they have for every step the people of American take in the direction of fairness and equality. But that too shall pass. Change will happen. Sanity and a demand for equality between races and genders will prevail, and marriage will evolve as a result of those changes.
Deborrah
Veteran social researcher, relationship advice columnist, author and radio host. Author of hundreds of articles on American and black culture, gender issues, singles, dating and relationships. Author of "Sucka Free Love!" , "The 24 Types of Suckas to Avoid," "The Black Church - Where Women Pray and Men Pray," and "Why Vegan is the New Black" all available on Amazon.Com. Her unique voice and insightful commentary have delighted fans and riled haters for 20 years. Read her stuff on SurvivingDating.Com and AskHeartBeat.Com.
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Category: Society and Culture
