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The Wedding, Hunter's And Ingraham

Decent Essays

Different types of sexualities and relationships are constantly being acknowledged and accepted all around the world. However, heterosexuality still remains as the dominant discourse because the society continues to promote it in the media, in literature and in many other things, such as legal documents and weddings. Weddings and marriages are usually promoted as a wonderful celebration that legally unite two people, but Bernstein’s, Hunter’s and Ingraham’s articles argue that the institution of marriage exists mainly to reinforce heterosexuality. Their articles, along with other scholarly texts demonstrate how marriages center around the state’s interests, social and cultural beliefs of what relationships are considered most acceptable and beneficial and gender roles.
Some people believe that weddings and marriages are …show more content…

She agrees with Duncan that the state’s interest in marriage revolves around trying to protect the image of “the family” and reinstate the heterosexual, nuclear family. The government manages to intervene and influence a person’s choice in who they should marry by giving “benefits to heterosexual marriage: retirement and death benefits, family leave policies, health care decision making and access, taxation, immigration, and numerous others” (Heath 31). The government offers several benefits as a way to persuade people into heterosexual marriages because health care for instance, is important and useful, as medicine and medical attention are things that every person needs. Consequently, the government cleverly promotes heterosexuality by rewarding those who participate in the traditional marriage. Moreover, Mary Bernstein’s article, “The marriage contract” adds to Heath’s ideas by claiming that the state “continues to promote the heterosexual nuclear family as the norm” and is “pouring billions of dollars into promoting marriage as a way to

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