Because I am unmarried and have no children, I seem to be less important than many others. While we celebrate the longevity of marriages through anniversaries, there is no such recognition for unmarried couples. Many are quick to point out that without a legal commitment, it is easier for unmarried couples to "just walk away" from the relationship. Perhaps, but if this is true, isn't it more of an accomplishment to stay together for 10 years without a legal bond than with one? And isn't a couple without children more likely to be together because they actually love one another than one with children who are "staying together for the kids?" I won't hold my breath waiting for Hallmark to publish the list of traditional gifts for the anniversaries of unmarrieds, and I really don't need external validation. I just don't want to be demeaned and undervalued.
Our culture even devalues those choices that fall outside the accepted norm through our language. There's not even a word to describe my relationship. Instead of being able to say that I am married to a husband, I must explain that I am in a long-term, committed, co-habitating relationship with a male partner. I like to use the word "partner" when I refer to Mitchell, since it most closely recognizes the role he plays in my life, but this often leads to confusion about my sexuality. The word "boyfriend" doesn't differentiate him from some guy that I'm just dating and is the same word that a seventh grader would use. There's always "fiance," but, of course, that word implies that a wedding is imminent.
While my experiences are annoying, I know that they only scratch the surface of what so many others are subjected to. I have friends who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, polyamo
rous, asexual, transgendered, transsexual, intersexed, and genderqueer. I also have friends who have no idea what at least half of those words mean. In any case, I know that I am lucky to have the external genitalia, internal organs, and chromosomes to match my internal sexual identity. I guess you could say that I'm lucky to be white, to be straight, and to be in a long-term relationship. I realize that I am not far from the mean on the societal bell curve, but I'm not ignorant enough to believe that everyone else thinks, lives, loves, and votes like I do. I thought this country was founded on individual differences and personal freedoms. (I know it really wasn't, but that IS what they taught us in school, right?) Call me old-fashioned, but I think we risk alienating others when we assume that we know who they are and what they believe or when we force them to identify themselves with a label.What would it be like to fall outside of society's check-the-box mentality? Imagine having to refer to your spouse as your "roommate." Imagine worrying that someone will ask you about your relationship status and you will feel forced to either "come out" or lie to hide the truth. Imagine being called ugly names like "faggot," "homo," or "he-she." Imagine being afraid of being attacked in a public restroom, because either your "parts" or your outward appearance doesn't match the label on the door. Imagine binding your breasts tightly against your chest. Imagine tucking (maybe even taping) your penis and testicles back toward your buttocks. Imagine being stared at while people try to figure out what gender you are. Imagine waking up everyday and seeing a body that doesn't match how you feel on the inside. Imagine. Open your mind (and your heart) & just imagine.
I agree with you, the kids thing is incessant! Annoying, intrusive, and insensitive. I tell people who ask me multiple times that my family has never asked the questions--they seem to know without having to ask, including in-laws. And yet, family would have more right to ask than coworkers, acquaintances, and strangers, right?
ReplyDeleteThe years-of-marriage thing as a relationship gauge is true, too! I usually just reply with the year and don't go into the details. But with people I know well enough, I tell them not to be fooled by the low number, because we're really like an old married couple.
I think these things are just conversational points like the similarly-dreaded classifying tool of "What do you?" or "Where do you work?" I've always hated this question, because answering it says nothing meaningful about who I am.
Any notion of true identity can't be pigeon-holed or attached to any label. People who really care to know you understand that human beings cannot be adequately described by labels and will avoid using them in speech or thought. The others...well, they are so one-dimensional that they can only function with black-and-white, check-the-box thinking. Rather than deal with complexities and gray areas, they will try to force you into a category so they don't have to think too much. Life is much less messy that way, even if it is less interesting.
I see a lot of parallels here...I'm pretty much past child-bearing and completely single, and finally no one asks me when I'm going to get married and have children, but our society is full of those annoying assumptions. I've finally gained a little notoriety as an artist, though, and I think it's just because people don't expect me to do anything "normal", another annoying assumption...
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