Wedding Bells for Sir Elton (and Many More)

On December 21, gays and lesbians will be officially allowed to marry in the UK.

Among those lining up for nuptials are Sir Elton John and George Michael (but not to each other). Sir Elton's been married before, back in the days when he dressed up as Donald Duck and had a latent affinity for white powder. I don't think anyone really knows anything about George Michael, other than the fact that he carried on the great tradition of gay celebrity icons who made the hearts of teenage girls pulsate with carnal lust (see also Tab Hunter, who's written a great autobiography).

I am not a fan of marriage personally or philosophically. Individualist that I am, I believe (1) that the marital relation is ultimately a socio-legal artifice that serves as a poor proxy for genuine emotional intimacy, and (2) that the laws should treat individuals uniformly, regardless of marital or familial status. To wit, single employees are afforded no "bonus" for not incurring additional costs to an employer that accrue with partners/spouses and dependents. And let's not forget how Uncle Sam fleeces widows and widowers across the fruited plain regarding retirement security: instead of having the fruits of their labor pooled with that of their late spouse, they are forced by operation of law to choose between their "benefit" and their late spouse's "benefit." This just goes to show that marriage, as currently defined, is an instrument of legal plunder.

Nevertheless, I am heartened to see that it's such a non-issue in UK politics, a welcome contrast to American political battlefield -- where President Bush can campaign on behalf of "traditional marriage" and increase his share of the gay vote.

Then again, the British aren't officially preparing for the Rapture...