My daughter says that people think I'm gay because my book jackets say I live with my partner which is code word for Lesbian lover. My gay sister-in-law (partner's sister) says so what if that's what they think. My mother-in-law (partner's mother) says we should all call our spouses partner in solidarity with gays. I might as well say husband because we've been together for over 25 years and have two kids. We might as well get married anyway because what's the point of not getting married? Smash the state? My uncles from Texas who vote for George Bush live with women and are not married to them. At any rate, I am not gay but I did recently visit one of my oldest and best friends, Sue Hyde, while she was in Portland promoting her book, Come Out and Win: Organizing Yourself, Your Community, and Your World. Sue says we're a couple of old bags now, but that's just the way she talks.
1 comment:
Hey Alison, just found your blog. I use "partner" as well because it's ambiguous and forces people to be uncomfortable with its gender neutrality. If I say "boyfriend" it seems to cheapen our five years together. Of course, inevitably when people figure out "partner" means "male partner," they start substituting "husband" unconsciously, which I find weird and interesting. I usually don't correct them, but it really is hard for some folks to accept a long-term loving committed relationship that doesn't involve a formal ceremony. I agree that we should all start using partner in solidarity, regardless of our legal and gender status.
-- Theresa Hogue
Post a Comment