Sunday Speaker: Tania Gerard, Marriage: Is It Possible to Update the Oppressive Structure?

Marriage between one man and one woman has been the predominant social unit in Western civilization. So much that the push for marriage equality became a flagpost for LGBTQ rights advocates. Couples of any sex enjoy access to the legal and financial advantages of marriage in the United States.

While gaining access to these benefits provides safety to marginalized communities, true change will happen when we reinvent the institutions that created that marginalization.

In practice, marriage involves a series of “rights and obligations” built upon the values of patriarchy and supremacy. These values have been normalized so successfully, that oppression sneaks into our personal relationships. Is it possible to find justice and equity within this model? What can Humanist values offer as alternatives?

Tania Gerard approaches marriage from an intersectional, feminist framework, and dissects the implications, behaviors, and power dynamics still present in the concept of marriage itself.

The conversation will focus on the questions that we can ask ourselves to reflect on our assumptions about marriage as an institution with the purpose of providing a critical, empowering view of our contribution as Humanists to a more equal world.

BIO -
Tania Gerard is a congruencer, crafter of questions, bridge builder, and passionate feminist. She has been part of social and reproductive justice projects in Mexico, Spain, and the United States. She has been a member of HSGP since 2020 and hosts the monthly Intersectional Book Study group.

Please join us on Zoom or YouTube:

1) Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/535462070?pwd=UGJBOXRYcTF2SXJMb01RNTdvM2Y2QT09
Meeting ID: 535 462 070
Passcode: 4808445044

2) YOUTUBE: You can watch live (15 second delay), or you can watch later. Here is the YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOw8Sl1yofrwRuGUYS_OOOA

Need help? Email ron.russell@hsgp.org before the day of this meeting.

The Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix presents its Sunday Speaker meetings twice a month on Sunday mornings. For now our meetings are on Zoom and YouTube. We look forward to seeing you at the Humanist Community Center when it's safe to meet in person!

Meetings are free and open to the public.

Go to our YouTube channel to see past meetings, presentations and and interviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOw8Sl1yofrwRuGUYS_OOOA

We invite you to become a dues-paying member of HSGP. To become a member or make a donation, go to www.hsgp.org

Thank you!