I have mused here before about the various types of discrimination we face depending on the kind of relationship we are in. I suggested there that

• We fight Relationship Status Discrimination (RSD) by preventing that any relationships carry special benefits.
• We support offering automatic legal protection to relationships when they dissolve whether through break-up or death.

What would a society look like when we’re all done, when we’ve eliminated RSD?

A world without Marital Status Discrimination might look like this:

• Values all couples for their commitment no matter what institution sanctioned them.
• Expands rights/ privileges/benefits to all couples. E.g.:
  • One can get health care through a partner.
  • Tax benefits for couples.
• Coupling is assumed as the highest form of maturity.

To me, this is still very couple-centric, which is something I would like us to move away from. That is why I suggest that we take on Relationship Status Discrimination.

A world without RSD would look something like this:

• Values all people for who they are not who they’re with.
• Either expands all rights/privileges/benefits to all people or eliminates special treatment. E.g.:
  • Health care for all rather than health care for the working and/or coupled.
  • Everyone is taxed equally.
• People are viewed as fully human whether they’re in a relationship or not.

I like this much better because it is striving toward equality for all and really means all, not just married or coupled folks.

It is important to me, though, not to eliminate all protections for people in special alloparents to raise our children collectively. This might be a lofty ideal, which will proof ultimately unrealistic. On the other hand, the trajectory we’re currently on seems to lead to the extinction of at least the human race. So maybe it’s worth trying something else.

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