Lavender marriages: What queer unions and relationships can teach us about love and safety

"Historically, lavender marriages refer to unions - often between two consenting LGBT+ individuals - formed as a way of concealing same-sex attraction in a society where being openly queer could mean social ostracism, career ruin or even criminalization. Crucially, they were not loveless. On the contrary, they were bonds of protection and safety between two people navigating the reality of bias, prejudice and discrimination of society and politics."

"Lavender marriages can be confused with mixed orientation marriages, but there is a difference: in mixed-orientation marriages, partners have different sexual orientations from one another. That doesn't mean these relationships don't make sense - plenty of couples do well without sharing the same orientation. But are lavender marriages actually making a comeback? The answer is complicated. While social progress has made queer lives more visible, many still fear coming out because of social, religious, cultural and political pressures."

"Nowhere were lavender marriages more visible than during Hollywood's Golden Age (1930-60s), when the Motion Picture Production Code - known as the Hays Code after the president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America from 1922 to 1945 - imposed restrictions on "immorality" and demanded that stars maintain a carefully constructed image. For example, the 1933 film Queen Christina portrayed an androgynous queen who shared a kiss with another woman."

Lavender marriages were formal unions used to conceal same-sex attraction and protect partners from ostracism, career damage and criminalization. Those unions often provided mutual safety and companionship rather than being inherently loveless. Lavender marriages differ from mixed-orientation marriages because both partners in lavender unions typically shared or concealed a queer identity for protective reasons. Social progress has increased queer visibility, yet many people still conceal sexual orientation due to social, religious, cultural and political pressures. Lavender marriages were especially visible during Hollywood's Golden Age under the Hays Code, which enforced moralized public images for stars.

Read at Advocate.com