Taking the sex out of the Maryland marriage question... [View All]

[marshall]

I think the comparison of gay marriage to polygamous marriage is a bit of a red herring. Wouldn't it be better to quit obsessing on sex and who's doing what to whom and focus on the more important issue--the benefits afforded by society to two individuals who marry.
A more accurate comparison would be marriage between blood relatives, which is as much of a social taboo as gay relationships and has also been outlawed by most cultures (in spite of its accepted position in ancient Egyptian and South Pacific societies.)
A friend of mine whose husband died several years ago has been raising her two children with her mother. They would both benefit greatly if they could establish a legal relationship that gave them the same things that a man and woman get when they are married. The would have financial and tax benefits, joint insurance coverage, etc. What difference does it make if they are having sex with each other or not, as long as they are two adults who wish to establish a household and benefit from the advantages offered by society?
For that matter though, what difference would it make if a mother/son, father/daughter, or sibling/sibling who were both adults DID want to establish a loving sexual relationship? Shouldn't they be given the same opportunity offered to any other couple, be they of the same or opposite sex?