Gay Marriage (book)
.jpg) Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Jonathan Rauch |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Same-sex marriage |
| Published | 2004 (Times Books) |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 207 |
| ISBN | 978-0805078152 |
Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America is a 2004 book about same-sex marriage by Jonathan Rauch.
Summary
Rauch argues that permitting same-sex marriages will strengthen marriage as an institution. He believes that same-sex marriage would strengthen marriage by making it more universal, broadening its influence, and thus signaling society's clear preference for marriage over cohabitation. Through reinforcing marriage's normative status, same-sex marriage might slow or help to reverse society's drift toward nonmarital cohabitation. Same-sex marriage would undercut the main rationale for alternatives to marriage such as civil unions and domestic partnerships, and strengthen marriage by making the institution more just and improving its public image.[1]
Scholarly reception
David Blankenhorn calls Rauch's book "the most precise and serious argument to date in favor of the proposition that marriage supporters should accept gay marriage." However, he rejects Rauch's case for same-sex marriage. Blankenhorn criticizes Rauch for ignoring questions such as "what is marriage?" and "how did it come to exist?", neglecting the anthropological and historical record on marriage, and failing to address the connection between marriage and children.[2]
References
Footnotes
- ↑ Blankenhorn 2007. pp. 129-130.
- ↑ Blankenhorn 2007. p. 130.
Bibliography
- Books
- Blankenhorn, David (2007). The Future of Marriage. New York: Encounter Books. ISBN 1-59403-081-2.