Men aren’t usually prominent in conversations about marriage and commitment. Join GMP in changing that.
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Last week, The Huffington Post published 15 Truthful Reasons Men Want to Get Married. It was a collection of answers posted by men on Reddit. While I was happy to see the stereotypes about men and marriage being challenged, I was uncomfortable with the idea that women needed to be reassured that men really do want to get married. In addition to being seemingly hetero-normative, it was also another article about marriage that was written by a woman with a female audience in mind.
The Good Men Project strives to be a place where men are not just welcome and included, but prominent, in the conversations about marriage and commitment. Additionally, we recognize and celebrate that commitment isn’t defined by marriage. Many couples are deeply committed to one another without being married. Marriage and commitment should not be a hetero-normative subject. Same-sex couples are changing the conversation about marriage and commitment every day and including those stories and experiences is crucial to the conversation.
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Calling Committed Men and Husbands: What’s your story about marriage and commitment?
- What comes to mind for you when you read articles like “15 Truthful Reasons Men Want to Get Married”?
- How do you think the media represents men and marriage? Do you see yourself in this depiction?
- What have you learned about commitment? If you were to write one of those listicles, what would your top ten be about? What can’t possibly be conveyed in a list?
- What have the surprises, challenges, and joys been?
- Has depression affected your relationship?
- How have you and your partner been affected by fertility issues? Do you have a story about this that you’d like to share?
- Childless by choice? How has that affected your experience with marriage and commitment?
- Have you and your partner brought yourselves back from the brink of breaking up or divorce? How did you save the relationship?
- Are the issues the same or different for same-sex couples? What have your experiences been?
- Where do people and the media get it wrong in terms of men and commitment?
- What’s your story? What have your experiences been?
- What do you have to say about men, marriage and commitment?
GMP is Now Accepting Submissions from Men on Marriage and Commitment.
Email Heather Gray at [email protected] with your submission. The conversation will be continuing here at GMP and we want you to be a part of it.
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Need more post ideas? Check out previous calls for submissions and use the email listed above to submit: This Ain’t Your Father’s Marriage and There is No Ball and Chain: Changing How We Talk About Marriage
Photo: Yurl Samoilov/Flickr
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