Question

People say same-sex marriage devalues the traditional marriage. What is your opinion on the issue?

Answer 1

• Many people who cherish traditional marriage are worried that it would be undermined by same-sex marriage. Indeed, some of them feel that the campaign for same-sex marriage represents an attack upon traditional marriage.
• I think marriage is about two people wanting to be a part of each others life and share their happiness and sorrows with each other. They are doing nothing to undermine the choice of those who opt for traditional marriage. It is precisely because they respect marriage and recognise its value, they say, that they are calling for it to be available also to same-sex couples.
• On a psychological level, for some heterosexual couples marriage is also a symbol of masculine and feminine elements coming together in an act of mutual dependancy, in a very subconscious and deeply visceral way. Same sex couples embody this subtle play of masculine and feminine elements within themselves of course as well but often much less explicitly.
• But if we think realistically,then it doesnt work and devalues traditional marriage system.Heterosexual people or couples who are against same sex marriages may find it troublesome, who most strongly identify their gender and that of their partners with its according psychological archetype (men: masculinity; women: femininity). For them,same sex unions are so shocking to them because it shatters these images. They may find this extremely confronting and subversive to their paradigm of how relationships must be.
• In my opinion,same sex marriage reminds everyone that marriage is the bonding of one person to another person. It therefore has a deeper significance to do with the emancipation of gender roles and archetypes as well. It invites certain heterosexual people to release themselves from any unhealthy co-dependency based on their gender and open themselves to embracing the fullness of their humanity as people, embodying both archetypes.