[LINK] "Young, Gay, and Still Married"

[rfmcdonald]

Over at the interesting-looking group blog Good Feed ("From the front lines of modern manhood"), writer Benoit Denizet-Lewis follows up on four of the couples he profiled, in a New York Times Magazine article on same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.

In April of 2008, I wrote a cover story for The New York Times Magazine about the first generation of young married and engaged gay couples in Massachusetts. (All of the couples I profiled were white. In Massachusetts, 91 percent of individuals in same-sex marriages are white—and the vast majority are college-educated and have high medium incomes.)

At the time, I was surprised by the number of emails I received from jaded (and presumably single) gay men promising me that the “naïve” young men I profiled would soon be divorced. Well, it hasn’t happened yet. All of the couples I interviewed are still together, and one of the two young gay men who had already experienced a divorce has chosen to marry again.

Since my piece was published, the number of young gay men getting married in Massachusetts has held steady. In 2008, 218 men under 30 entered into a same-sex marriage. In 2009, 228 did. Young lesbians are about twice as likely to get married as young gay men. Though it’s clear that marriage appeals to some young gay people, the vast majority aren’t seriously considering getting hitched until their 30s or 40s.

Go, read.