So, marriage will seem gay and straight people won't want to get married? A man marrying a woman is still not going to seem gay, because, you know, they're marrying woman.
I said nothing about marriage "seeming gay." But the idea that marriage is not tied to gender
could have an impact on its perceived role in a gendered relationship.
Do you admit at least that same-sex marriage might have a positive impact on the opposite-sex marriage rate?
I just do not see that at all. Every relationship is actually tied to gender, unless both people are totally bisexual.
The question is: will the meaning attached to this in the form of marriage itself continue to be gendered? There are two courses that could be taken with the existence of same-sex marriage: either 1) the cultural associations with marriage will be stripped of any gendered character in its language, social expectations, ritual and imagery, or 2) we will see the development of parallel genderings, parallel cultural forms that characterize same gender marriages on the one hand and opposite gender marriages on the other. The first of these I would expect could be potentially detrimental to the institution of marriage because it will sap the institution of some of its symbolic influence. The second on the other hand could strengthen and reinforce the institution by adding new perspectives to the marriage tradition's cultural heritage. We can expect to see some combination of the two opposing trends, but how this will develop we don't yet know.
Meanwhile, there is also a risk to marriage from the continued lack of same sex marriage within the present context. If the institution is seen as exclusive, this could enhance the perception in some parts of society that it is outdated, and so we could expect to see some increase in less formal, less stable arrangements in its place.
What do you mean by "gendered"? I'm not understanding what the actual difference between the two cases you discuss would look like.
