# Is there any reason a single person can't be married? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 27, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041 "2013-06-27T16:27:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/1 "2013-06-27T16:27:29Z")
Singles should be able to be married to “nobody” and be afforded the same benefits as married couples. I say to you, quite frankly, that the time for discrimination against singles is over. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/2 "2013-06-27T16:29:32Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > Singles should be able to be married to “nobody” and be afforded the same benefits as married couples. > > I say to you, quite frankly, that the time for discrimination against singles is over. Could you please give us your definition of “marriage”? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/3 "2013-06-27T16:30:38Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > Singles should be able to be married to “nobody” and be afforded the same benefits as married couples. > > I say to you, quite frankly, that the time for discrimination against singles is over. Which benefits, specifically, are these singles being denied? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/4 "2013-06-27T16:37:00Z")
Well, their partners don’t get health insurance. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/5 "2013-06-27T16:42:24Z")
But seriously, when was the last time you saw Nobody in a doctor’s waiting room. ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/6 "2013-06-27T16:45:00Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Which benefits, specifically, are these singles being denied? How about insurance benefits and discounts. There are neighborhoods zoned for “family only” where the unmarried are not allowed. Filing your taxes as married which may result in lower taxes depending on your situation. So why can’t a single person be allowed these benefits? It’s Jim Crow all over again. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/7 "2013-06-27T16:45:24Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, their partners don’t get health insurance. One can argue that the partner does get health insurance, and at half the cost of a family plan! Now that’s discrimination! > [@DJ Motorbike](#): > > There are neighborhoods zoned for “family only” where the unmarried are not allowed. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/8 "2013-06-27T16:47:38Z")
Yeah, but does it cover tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/9 "2013-06-27T16:48:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Cite? I expect he is misconstruing “single family home” zoning regulations. Or (private) restrictive covenants, possibly. ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/10 "2013-06-27T16:54:14Z")
All I’m suggesting is that there should be equal protection under the law. Anyone should be able to get married. Why should we live in a society that discriminates against singles? It’s wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/11 "2013-06-27T16:56:00Z")
A single person has all the rights a married person does. Two single people can enjoy all the rights two married people do by marrying each other. It’s quite a neat arrangement. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/12 "2013-06-27T17:01:25Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > All I’m suggesting is that there should be equal protection under the law. Anyone should be able to get married. Why should we live in a society that discriminates against singles? It’s wrong. It would help if you gave an example of this discrimination. Insurance generally charge less for singles than for families. Tax rates vary but most people feel married people, not singles, are the ones taking a hit. I’ve never heard of any zoning regulations that prohibit singles. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/13 "2013-06-27T17:03:41Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > But seriously, when was the last time you saw Nobody in a doctor’s waiting room. After he got into a fight with [Polyphemus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphemus) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/14 "2013-06-27T17:04:48Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > All I’m suggesting is that there should be equal protection under the law. Anyone should be able to get married. Why should we live in a society that discriminates against singles? It’s wrong. Where are these neighborhoods that won’t allow single people? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/15 "2013-06-27T17:08:39Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > All I’m suggesting is that there should be equal protection under the law. Anyone should be able to get married. Why should we live in a society that discriminates against singles? It’s wrong. Ah! I get it now. It’s like the discrimination that adults face every day of their lives. Minors get all kinds of sweet deals – they can commit heinous crimes and serve a fraction of the sentence that an adult would get. Plus, sometimes these crimes are sealed and don’t have to be revealed in background checks and stuff. I want to be treated like a minor, but I’m discriminated against because of my age. It’s totally fascist! We should be more egalitarian, just like this message board. Every post here looks the same – black text on a gray background – no matter whether the post is brilliantly insightful or not worth the electrons that were killed to post it. That’s equality! ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/16 "2013-06-27T17:13:29Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > Singles should be able to be married to “nobody” and be afforded the same benefits as married couples. > > I say to you, quite frankly, that the time for discrimination against singles is over. If we ignore the strawmen, I agree. If there’s actual discrimination against singles, we should fix that (and presumably already have: marital status is a protected federal class). But those strawmen are pretty big: I know this is meant as a “gotcha” to people who support gay marriage, but the barriers and discrimination against gays are huge, numerous, and well-documented. You’re struggling to find a single real case where being single has a penalty that could be solved just by calling themself “married.” ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/17 "2013-06-27T17:19:10Z")
You know, I’ve heard particularly dumb variations of the slippery slope argument against gay marriage, but this one might very well be the dumbest I have ever heard. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/18 "2013-06-27T17:23:43Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yeah, but does it cover tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome? That took a while to sink in 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/19 "2013-06-27T17:26:32Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > How about insurance benefits and discounts. What discounts do married people get that singles do not get? > [@](#): > > There are neighborhoods zoned for “family only” where the unmarried are not allowed. Zoned that way? I doubt it. cite? > [@](#): > > Filing your taxes as married which may result in lower taxes depending on your situation. I don’t think so. Thats why the phrase marriage penalty exists in the tax world but the single penalty does not. Unless you are saying that a single person should be able to file as if they are two people. In which case, I think that I am being discrimianted against vis a vis octomom for only being able to claim 2 dependents. > [@](#): > > So why can’t a single person be allowed these benefits? It’s Jim Crow all over again. I don’t know if you’ve said anything that makes sense yet. The best gotchas to be had in this arena (AFAIMC) is in the arena of polygamy, but the social and legal mechanisms in place don’t translate as easily from a heterosexual married couple to a polygamous group as it does to a homosexual married couple. Similar problems ensue if you want to marry your imaginary friend. > [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > All I’m suggesting is that there should be equal protection under the law. Anyone should be able to get married. Why should we live in a society that discriminates against singles? It’s wrong. Erm… singles can get married. I was once single and I got married. Most married people I know were single once. It was bad enough when people were comparing marrying another man to bestiality, now you are comapring it to marrying your imaginary friend. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041/20 "2013-06-27T17:26:37Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > You know, I’ve heard particularly dumb variations of the slippery slope argument against gay marriage, but this one might very well be the dumbest I have ever heard. Wow. Hey, **DJ Motorbike** , _is_ this the reason for this thread, or not? And could back up the claim about the “family only” neighborhoods? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-a-single-person-cant-be-married/662041.md?page=2)