Haas Stephen M, Whitton Sarah W
a Department of Communication , University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati , Ohio , USA.
J Homosex. 2015;62(9):1241-63. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2015.1037137. Epub 2015 Apr 7.
Because marriage has been denied to same-sex couples, it is likely that the meaning and significance ascribed to non-marital cohabitation may be unique. Further, it is unclear whether same-sex couples view marriage as important to their relationships, and if they do, why. Using qualitative data from 526 individuals in cohabiting same-sex relationships across 47 states, we explored (1) the meaning and significance of cohabitation and (2) the perceived importance of legal marriage to the relationship. Participants viewed cohabitation as significant, most commonly because it indicates long-term commitment, provides emotional support, makes the couple a family, and allows them to share life together. Marriage was perceived as important to a majority (90%), most commonly because it confers financial and legal benefits, relational legitimacy, and demonstrates the same commitment as different-sex couples. Overall, findings highlight the symbolic significance of cohabitation and importance of access to legal marriage to adults in same-sex relationships.
由于同性伴侣被剥夺了结婚的权利，赋予非婚姻同居的意义和重要性可能是独特的。此外，目前尚不清楚同性伴侣是否认为婚姻对他们的关系很重要，如果是，原因是什么。我们利用来自47个州526名处于同居同性关系中的个体的定性数据，探讨了（1）同居的意义和重要性，以及（2）法定婚姻对这种关系的重要性。参与者认为同居很重要，最常见的原因是它表明了长期承诺，提供了情感支持，使伴侣成为一个家庭，并让他们能够共同分享生活。大多数人（90%）认为婚姻很重要，最常见的原因是它带来经济和法律利益、关系的合法性，并表明与异性伴侣相同的承诺。总体而言，研究结果凸显了同居的象征意义以及获得法定婚姻对同性关系中的成年人的重要性。
