Comments:

chrissie hinde, 27 August
I love what you write here. Like you I was really moved by Yearly Meeting’s decision about same-sex marriages. but I'm also uncomfortable about the way society sees marriage as a 'gold standard'. When Dolly Parton was asked (a long while back) whether Gay people should be allowed to marry, she replied: "Hell yes! why shouldn't they suffer like the rest of us!' I love her response because it sums up what I think. Yes let's have equality for same sex couples, but lets also be real about coupledom not being some kind of elevated, greater state of being. I've always found being part of a couple a tough challenge, and think marriages are no more divine than for example a chance meeting at a bus stop with a stranger where you fine yourself having a wonderful moment of connection. Spontaneous and unexpected. I admire people who chose to be single, despite huge pressures to pair off. I can't think of anything more suffocating than a society where everyone is in a couple!