Hegemonic Marriage is Unique for a Reason?

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has started a blog called Marriage: Unique for a  Reason, which was one of the factors that inspired me to start this blog. I can't take this ignorance anymore. I'm excommunicating the USCCB's blog!

Watched their YouTube video about "Sexual Difference," the Basis for "real" marriage.



There are so many problems here, I don't even know where to begin.

First of all, there are some vague attempts to portray this hegemonic couple as in some way progressive (the wife is a lawyer, etc.) On the other hand, most of the other gender roles are 100% stereotypical...The man brings home groceries, the woman cooks. The man fixes a bike, the woman brings him water. This does not compute even from the standpoint of gender equality. Women are equally capable of doing these things, and yet the video doesn't feel the need to genuinely express this point. Way to go USCCB, you're perpetuating stereotypical gender roles for both men and women... I'm pretty sure that could be an excommunicable offense.

Secondly, what about those who do not fit within the social boundaries of "man" and "woman?" Yes, I am referring here to people who are non-gender conforming (or non-cisgender): transgendered, genderqueer, transexual, intersex, two-spirited, or basically non-normative. Way to go USCCB, you're perpetuating gender binary and erasing identities... I'm pretty sure that should be an excommunicable offense.

Thirdly, this entire dialogue between the couple could be performed by a same-sex couple and it would make sense. Sure, the guy has a penis and the woman has a vagina. However, does that physical reality really discount the sexual complementarity of non-heteronormative couples? I reccomend that you check out the YouTube video of Terry Miller and Dan Savage, of the It Gets Better Project. Way to go USCCB, your erasing Gay identities...I'm pretty sure that should be an excommunicable offense.

Here's an article about heterosexual privilege by Patricia Beattie Jung, a Roman Catholic theology professor at Loyola University Chicago.

My question to the USCCB - When will you make an It Gets Better video?