If you truly love your partner, does a ring and a ceremony really do anything?

I know there are certain legal situations where an official marriage changes who has certain rights, but aren’t those same rights available if you make other legally-official decisions E.G. a will or trusts, etc?

I’m generally curious why people get married beyond the “because I love them” when it costs so much money.

  • dumples@midwest.social
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    23 hours ago

    I know there are certain legal situations where an official marriage changes who has certain rights, but aren’t those same rights available if you make other legally-official decisions E.G. a will or trusts, etc?

    This is not the case. Marriage gives you a lot of specific rights that can be covered by other legal documents but never together and marriage will override it. This is one of the main goals for giving gay marriage is all of the legal benefits of marriage which are expansive and complete. (This is of course in the USA this is not the case in other locations.)

    There was a few legal pushes to separate these legal benefits from marriage into different legal rights that can be granted piecemeal. If you are intersted I would read The Other Significant Others which talks about people who prioritize friendships over marriage and how they interact with their “other significant other” which includes the legal discussions.

    • phx@lemmy.ca
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      13 hours ago

      Yeah. My buddy lived with his SO. They had kids together. I believe they did have plans to get married but there were financial/planning considerations. At the time, the house was in his name.

      He died unexpectedly and without warning due to a previously unknown medical condition. I don’t believe he had a W&T.

      The paperwork she had to deal with - much of which would have been not required had they been married - was horrendous, especially anything bank related. The bank also seemed to be doing their best to fuck her over in regards to the family home. It was a nasty ordeal.

      • dumples@midwest.social
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        3 hours ago

        What they used to saying in the gay marriage rights movement was the rights of marriage don’t kick in the good times but in the bad. It’s all the sickness and death and divorce when it’s needed.