I think that relationships between two blood relatives of the same generation should be completely decriminalized. I also believe that individuals engaging in said relationships should have every right to the legal protections and privileges awarded by the institution of marriage.

What a way to start an article!

Now, if you are a conservative, I can only imagine the thoughts going through your head: “institutionalize gay marriage, and look at what happens.” For this rare instance, I won’t write you off. As a gay man, I realize that it has taken certain individuals a lot of work to accept my sexuality, and, even more, work to accept the fact that my community wants to be able to legally marry members of the same sex.

Because it has taken others so much time and commitment to accept me, I have pledged that I would take the same time and commitment to understand relationships and practices that confuse me.

Even if you are a liberal like myself, I can definitely understand the reservations you would have for the social acceptance of certain kinds of relationships between related individuals. But we’re going to go through, step-by-step, the reasons for why we need to start understanding and accepting individuals engaged in physical and romantic relationships with relatives of the same generation.

But first, the question is—why am I limiting this to relatives of the same generation, and what do I mean by this? This would entail first cousins, siblings and half-siblings. This is to ensure that the relationship is consensual and that there are no issues of dominance or emotional abuse. Now, this limitation doesn’t necessarily function as insurance.

Of course you can argue that there are issues of emotional abuse and dominance in relationships between individuals of the same age. But for some reason, I think that transgenerational relationships between two related individuals can lead to very bad things, and can usually be traced to abuse in an individual’s infancy.

In fact, that is quite the famous argument against incest: it’s always a form of either rape or emotional manipulation. Frequently, logical people who have no other way to argue against the social acceptance of these types of relationships usually use the idea that all incest is rape.

Unfortunately, I don’t see that. They bring in the idea that close relatives can very easily manipulate the emotions and feelings of other close relatives. When that leads to romance, however “consensual” it may seem, it is always essentially “rape.” I agree that any kind of non-consensual sex is rape, and I morally condemn rape. But I don’t think that all romantic relationships between two family members are non-consensual. In fact, I believe it’s normally the opposite.

Another one of the biggest arguments against romantic relationships of this kind almost always involves the notion that a child could be produced that is much more genetically prone to disease or disability. But I must remind you that there is no law that forbids people with any type of genetically inherited disabilities to have children. Myths have been spread about the members of the down syndrome community, who I believe should be treated with the utmost respect.

These myths usually state that most members of the community are infertile. Frequently, in assisted living homes and in daycare programs, individuals with Down Syndrome are left to themselves, since most people believe they have no libido, nor can they produce children. The reality is, however, that they can, and that they do. Furthermore, people who are tested positive for carrying Tay-Sachs disease aren’t forbidden from reproducing. So my question is: why are genetic diseases used as an argument against individuals practicing romantic relationships with relatives?

In the very simplest of terms, I'm asking most people who judge non-conventional forms of romance to reconsider your reasons for doing so. Reconsider your motivations for thinking that something is “unnatural.” If you do, you might discover a virtually endless amount of topics on which you can expand your knowledge, and change your position. Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!