Gay Marriage Debate...in 1974!

A PBS series "The Advocates" conducted a debate in 1974 on "Should Marriage Between Homosexuals be Permitted".  Most of the arguments haven't changed with the exception of the heavy handed religious tilt nowadays by most anti-gay groups.

The above screenshot is of Elaine Noble, a professor at Emerson College on "The Advocates".  She was an out lesbian on TV which was unheard of in those days.  She makes possibly the only argument about how gay marriage would change the instituion of marriage when she is asked the question about who will be the head of the household in a homosexual union:

Simon:

Well, I wanted to ask you some questions about the incidence of marriage because it seems to me that marriage is designed primarily for the heterosexual couple and is inappropriate for the homosexual couple. I would like to ask you whether you plan to modify or change the marriage relationship. For example, in the homosexual marriage, will there be an identifiable head of the family?

Noble:

Well, I think that's probably ... I think that's sort of a dated question, don't you think . . . I assumed . . .

. . . but I think that maybe ... I thought we started on a higher level, and I assumed that heterosexual marriages were ones that we're questioning— you know, that both partners are equal in that relationship. Perhaps you don't perceive marriage that way.

Simon:

Well, are you telling me, then, that there will not be an identifiable head and that both parties to the homosexual marriage will always be equal?

Noble:

I would assume that that's probably what the women's movement is trying to say about heterosexual marriages.