On the other side, the homosexuals seem to think that they should have the same legal benefits that heterosexuals enjoy. Like "straights," gay persons form more or less long-lasting loving couples. Apparently, they figure that their relationships merit formalization, respect and recognition in the same ways that traditional couples marry. Since there are no offspring to be legitimized, it's a little unclear why the gay couples are wanting their voice heard. Perhaps they're demanding dignity in the eyes of "equal protection of the laws."

In Pennsylvania, at least, marriage among homosexuals is seldom a formal, legal bond, and that is probably just as well or is it? They would likely have the same kinds of ugly, painful divorce problems which destroy more than half of today's traditional marriages. Gays seem to form what might be called "common law" marriages. They agree between themselves that they are married and will be faithful to one another. Sometimes it works, some times it doesn't; just like with everybody else.

Of course, "common law gay marriage" doesn't allow one partner to represent the other during illness, hospitalization, financial crisis and so forth. Although many go one step further with wills and such to weep such advantages.

There is no shortage of gays in Pennsylvania's prisons, both among the staff and the prisoners. We know of no case of a formalized gay marriage in either group. There are many cases of informal or "common law" marriages and of long-lasting, loving relationships in both groups.

Pennsylvania prisons seem to have somewhat fewer homosexuals than in Southern prisons. Apparently, the more Christian an area is, the more queer it is. Of course, the more Christian the area, the more hypocritical. Something about religion turns many people into dangerous phonies. Religion should be indulged in very small doses.

In any event, there's plenty of homosexuality in the Pennsylvania prison system. Prison causes many bisexual persons to focus on their homosexual side. Had it not been for prison, most of the bisexuals would have had little on no overt homosexual activity. That's true at least for the prisoners. It seems to be different among the prison staff.

In the Pennsylvania prisons there are at least as many queers among the staff as among the prisoners. Many of the men working in prison are at least bisexual. They work in the prisons to enjoy being around brawn and musk. Only a small percentage of them actually seek sex with the prisoners. It's largely just a spectator sport.

Many if not most of the female prison guards are lesbians. They have no interest in the male prisoners more than a farmer cares about her cattle. Other female employees are no more likely to be lesbians than in any other line of work. However, they have a strong proclivity for personality defects and psychological problems. Most have rejected sexuality in favor of money, aggression and/or angry angst.

Among the staff, it's much more common for guards to "marry" one another than to form relationships with prisoners (either homosexual or heterosexual). That's no doubt just as well for the prisoners.

At the state prison at Camp Hill across the river from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, there are plenty of homosexuals. Here we mention two situations which amount to "gay marriage," at least of the common law variety. The first is between lesbian guards.

The women are rapidly approaching middle age. One is somewhat older that the other. They are rather heavy and not very attractive in a heterosexual sense. They aren't overly masculine, nor overly aggressive. In fact they are often cordial with some prisoners.

The women try to hide their relationship and pretend to live apart. The sexual pleasures they exchange are certainly none of our business, but they seem to have a loving relationship which has persisted for some time. They probably get along better than many traditional marriages.

The second "gay marriage" is between a pair of Afro-American men, long-term prisoners. Their relationship is tempestuous at best, but apparently sexually mutually satisfying. While the men seem to love one another, they don't seem to respect one another. Both seem to regard homosexuality as a weakness. They appear to hate themselves and, to some extent, to hate one another. Nonetheless, they are faithful.

The younger man is especially critical and bitchy about his older partner. It doesn't seem to stop them from having a lot of sex. The older partner seems to have an almost paternal caring for his younger partner. He shows an over affection for him.

Again, it's certainly none of our business what sexual activities the men exchange, but they've been together for a long time. The staff seems to recognize that the prisoners are "married." They don't interfere because the relationship causes no problems for the staff.

That's only one couple or "gay marriage" among perhaps 40 in the Camp Hill prison. Among the prisoners in the whole Pennsylvania imprisonment system, there are probably 350 to 450 "gay marriages" and perhaps half that number among the staff. The staff (at least the male staff) tends to be far more promiscuous.

From a social perspective, there may be some advantages to gay marriage for the same reasons and in the same ways as for traditional marriages. Granted, neither is a perfect social institution, but perhaps enduring relationships help to stabilize the social fabric. It may also slow the population explosion.