Boston marriage
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Boston marriage was a term used in the 19th century for households where two women lived together, independent of any male support. Whether these were lesbian relationships — in the sexual sense — is debated. The likelihood is that some were and some were not. Today, the term is sometimes used when referring to two women living together who are not in a sexual relationship. Such a relationship may have intimacy and commitment, without passion.
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[edit] Origins of the term
The term "Boston marriage" came to be used, apparently, after Henry James' book The Bostonians detailed a marriage-like relationship between two women — "New Women" in the language of the time, women who were independent, not married, self-supporting (which sometimes meant living off inherited wealth or making a living as writers or other professional, educated careers). The play Boston Marriage by David Mamet depicts such a marriage as having an explicitly sexual component.
[edit] Modern relevance
In 2004, Massachusetts became the first state in the U.S. to allow legal same-sex marriages, which makes Boston the only major city in the U.S. where a "Boston Marriage" can be a legal marriage as well. This has lent new currency to the term, and some people, hearing it for the first time, think it is a new term referring to legal same-sex marriages.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- "So, Are You Two Together?" - Ms. Magazine article by Pagan Kennedy.