No, actually we don't. Marriage throughout history had very different social and legal rules. Inheritance rules, power, authority, and care-taking of children are elements that have changed radically over the years.
It would be accurate to say we've had experience with many different kinds of heterosexual marriage, but once you're lumping in, say, 16th century English marriage laws and customs with 21st century Californian ones, gender starts to look like a minor detail.
We talk about "marriage" as if it's a simple, single idea, but historically, it's been applied to a wide range activities.
It would be accurate to say we've had experience with many different kinds of heterosexual marriage, but once you're lumping in, say, 16th century English marriage laws and customs with 21st century Californian ones, gender starts to look like a minor detail.
We talk about "marriage" as if it's a simple, single idea, but historically, it's been applied to a wide range activities.