Sheldon Stanton

who was not what I'd call streetwise but did spend a surprising amount of time in bars, once said to me: "If you see two guys beating each other up, it almost always has something to do with a girl."

And I agree with Sheldon. I think marriage was invented to subdue the violent, competitive urges of males, to keep them from knocking each other senseless every half hour, which is hardly beneficial for the species.

In But of course, marrigae is a means of survival. But not just for offspring. Your partner has your back. One time in the lab there was this single woman who broke both her legs in a car accident, and we talked about how impossible a situation like that would be if you had no one to help you - I mean, how much can you ask a neighbor or your kid to do? That's what marriage is all about, I think, and that's why I think it's wrong to deny gay people that one person who is supposed to always be there, and do what not even a parent or child or best friend can be expected to do.