19 min

The Right to Fail at Marriage Modern Love

    • Society & Culture

In 2004, the comedian Cameron Esposito sat on the steps of Boston City Hall and watched as some of the first legally married same-sex couples in the United States emerged victoriously as newlyweds. Thirteen years, three boyfriends and 10 girlfriends later, Cameron was ready to marry the woman she assumed she would be with forever. “I expected to perfectly navigate marriage like some sort of lesbian phoenix that never stops rising,” Cameron wrote in her 2019 Modern Love essay. But when she found herself alone and knocked down, failing at marriage, she developed a new understanding of the privileges she had long been fighting for.

In 2004, the comedian Cameron Esposito sat on the steps of Boston City Hall and watched as some of the first legally married same-sex couples in the United States emerged victoriously as newlyweds. Thirteen years, three boyfriends and 10 girlfriends later, Cameron was ready to marry the woman she assumed she would be with forever. “I expected to perfectly navigate marriage like some sort of lesbian phoenix that never stops rising,” Cameron wrote in her 2019 Modern Love essay. But when she found herself alone and knocked down, failing at marriage, she developed a new understanding of the privileges she had long been fighting for.

19 min

Top Podcasts In Society & Culture

Woman Evolve with Sarah Jakes Roberts
The Black Effect and iHeartPodcasts
The Big Interview
Monocle
Thought Digest with Caiah & Mpho
Africa Podcast Network
The TED Interview
TED
Your Favorite Aunties
ShaMarian Nia
bit my tongue with nailea devora
Nailea Devora & Audioboom Studios

More by The New York Times

The Daily
The New York Times
Modern Love
The New York Times
The Ezra Klein Show
New York Times Opinion
Hard Fork
The New York Times
Matter of Opinion
New York Times Opinion
Together Apart
The New York Times