Thought For The Day: Andrew Solomon

Marriage is altogether an embracing word for a varied experience. Marriages of the 19th century differ from marriages of the 21st century. Marriages of wealthy people differ from marriages of the indigent. Marriages of Americans differ from marriages of British people. Gay marriages are different from straight ones. Marriage is an adaptable state, but all marriages have enough similarity to earn a common parlance. They hinge on the conscious decision that two people make to spend the rest of their lives together, to love and to honour each other and to make life’s great decisions as a unit. And that has nothing to do with the gender of the participants. Our household sometimes wants a woman’s touch, perhaps, but other households sometimes want a queer eye. It’s all marriage. Gay marriages are not identical to straight ones, but I believe they are equal. And I believe that equality cannot be acknowledged as long as what is done for gay couples is named differently from what is done for straight ones.

Andrew Solomon, The Times.

A rare piece on gay marriage - and parenting - that didn't make Fagburn barf.

Andrew Solomon is the author of Far From The Tree: Parents, Children And The Search For Identity.

Fagburn hasn't read it, but the endless plugs for it on Radio 4 and in The Guardian at the end of last year made it sound very interesting.

Update: Though this from David Cameron is barftastic!