ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates how same-sex marriage impacts the language that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people use within and in reference to their relationships, with a particular focus on the ways that intersecting social identities shape these processes. A qualitative framework applying semi-structured, in-depth interviews was employed to explore marital language usage among 28 self-identified cisgender gay men, with differential levels of participation in the institution of marriage, living in various parts of the United States. The findings presented in this chapter illustrate that only some cisgender gay men feel that they can access these social benefits by making their identities visible through the use of marital language, highlighting continued inequality with respect the social aspects of marriage.
