Now that the Church and the Bush administration have made official that the institution of marriage is between a man and a woman exclusively, one can only guess what these leaders of much larger and more powerful institutions have in mind for the masses (i.e. Bushs proposals to promote healthy marriages). At present, marriage is loosing its luster with a growing number of eligible young adults and divorcees who have discovered that indeed, marriage is between one man, one woman and one very big intrusive legal system that is looming in the shadows in case something runs afoul.
Like a third wheel, a multitude of agencies, bureaus, courts, social workers, churches, psychologist, psychiatrist, judges and lawyers are employed and empowered by a legal morass that follows couples down the bumpy road of matrimonial union. They would have you believe that they are selfless servants whose only interests are to help families cope with married life or divorce. But ask the people served what their experiences have been and in many cases you will get a different perspective. The potholes in the road are not being filled by the road crew. Instead they are digging up the surface so that they can ditch more clients.
And why, you may ask? Because, like tow trucks along the marriage highway, they are all dependent on a steady stream of personal break-downs and pile-ups. They will happily drag your wreck into anger management class, psychological evaluation, mediation, or court where the mechanics mysteriously work on your hapless situation with one goal in mind: to keep you coming back. And if you don’t have the money to pay, think of your federal and state taxes as auto insurance that is there to keep the tow trucks and mechanics busy.
My advice to gay couples: be careful of what you ask for.
”’Guy Monahan is a resident of Aiea and a board member with the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. He can be reached via email at:”’ mailto:monahang001@hawaii.rr.com