A number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and allied activists, scholars, educators, and other community members have written down a new vision for securing governmental and private institutional recognition of diverse kinds of partnerships, households, kinship relationships, and families. They hope to move beyond the narrow confines of marriage politics as they exist in the United States today. They have written a statement, in which they outline the principles that they believe should influence strategies, and they want more people to sign on to show their endorsement of the statement.

They say, "We seek... flexible... economic benefits and options regardless of sexual orientation, race, gender/gender identity, class, or citizenship status. We reflect and honor the diverse ways in which people find and practice love, form relationships, create communities and networks of caring and support, establish households, bring families into being, and build innovative structures to support and sustain community."

They continue, "The struggle for same-sex marriage rights is only one part of a larger effort to strengthen the security and stability of diverse households and families. LGBT communities... recognize that families and relationships know no borders and will never slot narrowly into a single existing template... families, relationships, and households struggling for stability and economic security will be helped by separating basic forms of legal and economic recognition from the requirement of marital and conjugal relationship." They point out that the majority of people do not live in "traditional" nuclear families, and that "Recognizing the diverse households that already are the norm in this country is simply a matter of expanding upon the various forms of legal recognition that already are available."

The organizers highlight the communities that formed and strengthened during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the gay community, as well as the way that transgender and bisexual movements have challenged legal constructions of relationships. "To have our government define as 'legitimate families' only those households with couples in conjugal relationships does a tremendous disservice to the many other ways in which people actually construct their families..."

The signatories speak of the need to counter the right wing's use of "wedge" politics. They say that the legal framework of civil rights for all people is under assault, coded not only in terms of sexuality, but also in terms of race, gender, class, and citizenship status. Governmental funding for family programs from childcare, healthcare and reproductive services, and nutrition are at risk, and financial survival would be left up to families themselves. "Winning marriage equality in order to access our partners’ benefits makes little sense if the benefits that we seek are being shredded."

Beyondmarriage.org says that all but the most privileged households and families are in jeopardy as a result of the right-wing assault on funding for human needs, and that this is complicated by the segment of LGBT movement strategy that focuses on same-sex marriage as a stand-alone issue. Many individuals and households in LGBT communities would be unable to access benefits and support that they need if they do not have access to marriage rights.

They want to ensure that their efforts do not take away already-existing possibilities such as domestic partnerships for LGBT or straight couples who prefer these options to marriage. They want to avoid securing privilege for some while taking away options for others. Read more

Beyond Marriage