For the second book club session, the group discussed about same-sex marriage and its role in LGBT+ advocacy.

To start the conversation, we discussed chapters taken from the book Against Equality: Queer Revolution, Not Mere Inclusion, edited by Ryan Conrad. Against Equality is an online archive of different writings that critique mainstream LGBT* politics. In the book, they compiled essays and writings about three different topics, the first being same sex marriage, and how it is not the goal we should be fighting for, but how we should rather abolish marriage as a whole.

Regarding the chapters, it was brought up that even though it lacked alternative solutions for legalizing same-sex marriage, it had a few interesting arguments. For example, when it states that marriage is a privilege, and a gatekeeper for several benefits that single people do not have access to, being that taxes is the most emphasized case in the passage. That led to a discussion around marriage, and how it can be a goal to aspire to regarding benefits that are kept from single people or people on non-monogamous relationships – tax benefits, accessing adoption/custody rights, hospital visitations, applying for citizenship, among others. After that, some participants chimed in to discuss what should be the priority, getting same-sex marriage legalized and discuss marriage as an institution afterwards, or doing it so from the get go.

Thanks to everyone that showed up! We look forward to seeing you in the next book club.

If you’re interested in coming to the next meeting or want to propose a book to talk about you can find all information you can find more information on Facebook in the group “Book Club @ LGL”, or you can send an e-mail directly to josefinschaefer@web.de.

LGL is carrying out the 10-month project “Disappearing Borders: Empowering LGBT Community and Allies In Lithuania” under the Erasmus+ program EVS (European Voluntary Service).