Abstract
Until recently, conjugality—in all its regulatory forms—needed homosexuality only as a foil. Gay and lesbian people sometimes accommodated themselves in the available structures by shaping their relationships to “pass” as straight, or by unhappily conforming to marriage norms in other ways. Many, at least in recent times, have found ways to live outside of marriage, and as such are not alone. As we saw in Chapter 3, historically, transsexuals and intersexual people have also been barred from entry to marriage (along with “epileptics” and “lunatics,” among others). While such people were prohibited, in effect, from ever trying to enter conjugal territory, others were routinely deported from within it for failing to meet various standards of matrimonial civility—drunkards, criminals, and adulterers, for example. It could be argued that a need to reject the objectionable company kept by gay and lesbian people outside the matrimonial gates has outweighed the questionable desirability of the destination on the other side. Most of these excluded others could, of course, reenter after a time, and in most places are no longer restricted at all. Similarly, while cohabitants also dwell beyond certified marriage, they are nonetheless situated at its edges, and can, if they choose, enter at any time.
Published Version
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