There was a time many gay people viewed marriage as an irrelevant institution. They celebrated sexual freedom and the right to live their lives as they pleased. Why should we limit ourselves as straights have for millennium? Why join an institution with a 50% failure rate?
Was this attitude sincere, or just a hostile reaction to an exclusive heterosexual right? To be sure, many gays did sincerely feel that way and many do today, still. Hell, many straights feel the same way about marriage!
Marriage is not for everyone. It is a major commitment to a person for life. It is not an easy commitment to keep, even if one is faithful. People are people and people will disappoint us, hurt us, especially those we love the most. Human love is not pure and it entails humans, who by nature, are selfish beings. That is not to say humans are not capable of selfless acts. But we all fail at being selfless, at times. Yet, there is something healthy about self respect and self love, which is the best way to be ABLE to show love to others.
So the United States is on the verge of letting all loving gay couples marry, if they wish to. Marriage is society's way of recognizing the commitment between two people who love each other, to celebrate that commitment. For us, gay people, marriage will mean more. It will mean society has accepted us as equals, as people to be respected and loved and appreciated, as we are, not as some would prefer we be.
Sure, we are really in the early stages of that acceptance and we have a ways to go yet, despite marriage equality is some parts of the world. Sadly, some are still killed or ostracized for being gay.
Tell me, if you would, what marriage means to you - even if you do not support marriage, whether you are straight or gay. Thanks.