On July 4, 2008, the out science fiction writer shot himself in his New York apartment. Could gay marriage have saved him?
I’ve no doubt it could have saved him from being evicted.
could gay marriage have saved Thomas Disch?
6 thoughts on “could gay marriage have saved Thomas Disch?”
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Nicola Griffith 
Nancy Polikoff had an example of a couple like this in her book, Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage. But I don’t have the book with me right now, so I can’t cite the example. But one partner died and the other was going to get evicted, and the survivor sued and won and didn’t get evicted. And Polikoff’s point was marriage shouldn’t have to be a requirement to retain/maintain housing (in this example) if you can show that they lived together and cared for each other. Now I need to finish reading that book …
jill, I’m with you. But I also, on the level of longing for uptopia, dream of a world where no one should ever be evicted, no one should have to pay for basic food, water, healthcare, education. Until we have eden on earth, though, I’ll settle for the legal rights other people are allowed.
Yeah, that too.
When I first encountered feminism, it was split into two camps; radical feminists, who wanted to change the law, and revolutionary feminists, who wanted to begin again. I always sort of wanted both. I think if one can live with the inherent tension, it’s not a bad way to approach change.
I want it all! Is that too much to ask for? :PI am working at living in the chasm. Sometimes I can stand the tension, and sometimes I can’t.
I want everything, too. But the notion of what is too much or too little to ask for is an interesting one. Women, in my opinion, rarely ask for enough. Some women just sort of expect people to notice how deserving they are and to be given the award/pay rise/promotion. But the world doesn’t work that way. Gotta ask. Gotta have the data to back it up. And the fire in your belly. We have to believe we *deserve* whatever we’re asking for. Or demanding :)