It’s funny, I just sent out this week’s Prism & Pen writing prompt, which asks people to consider what they really love about being LGBTQ.

I was considering writing a story about how gay couples have had the freedom to define the rules of their relationships, the freedom to create ways of being without relying on centuries of tradition.

De facto social rules about monogamy are definitely included in the traditions we gay people often deliberately choose to question or set aside.

In fact, I sometimes worry that legal same-sex marriage has given lots of younger gay men a reason to stop questioning how they form relationships and families, the impetous to fall into a heteronormative pattern without giving it a lot of thought.

I’m with you. I think relationships that don’t center on strict, presumed rules require more and better communication, and are often stronger and more fulfilling in consequence.