There was quite a bit of discussion about “gay” marriage recently and whether – since civil partnerships are legally very similar to marriage – there was any point getting upset about “a word”.
Many gay people feel that it is pointless making up new words for relationships, institutions and events that already have a familiar vocabulary. Thus many same-sex couples simply invite people to their “wedding” or talk about their “spouse”. If asked if they’re in a relationship, many will simply say “married” – particularly when “marriage” is offered as a binary choice along with “single”.
But the best argument for this simplicity of language is provided by the National Census form.
- married
- divorced
- widowed
- in a registered same-sex civil partnership
- formerly in a same-sex civil partnership which is now legally dissolved
- surviving partner from a same-sex civil partnership
Okay, so the silly fight over the term “marriage” is still raging, but, for goodness sake! Is “divorced” also a word so sacred to heterosexuals that it can’t be used by gay people? And widowed? Is there some reason these terms can’t be used?
When asked their “marital status”, does the Office of National Statistics really imagine a real person saying “I was formerly in a same-sex civil partnership which is now legally dissolved”?
This is divorced from reality.
