Husband or Wife?

[silverfoxcc]

Following the legalisation of same sex marriages, i am getting a little confused on who is who in these.
I have seen Stephen Fry refer to his partner as his Husband,so what is Fry if the terms of Husband and Wife is being used. also in two Woman/Woman marriages recently i have seen both husband and wife being used to describe the other partner.

Could someone explain how it is established in a marriage,is it physical or mental i would like to konw as my sons friend is in a relationship and i just want to get it right should it crop up,forewarned etc

[ewenm]

Down to the couple I think. "Partner" is safe, otherwise ask or wait until they use one of the terms.

Edit: I doubt it has any link to the physical side of their relationship, just whatever description they feel happy with.

Edited by ewenm on Friday 3rd July 22:33

[Quhet]

You can be husband & wife or husband & husband or wife & wife. Not really that complicated...

[Impasse]

Future divorcee.

[bloomen]

I prefer the term 'piece of meat' regardless of what gender anyone is.

[227bhp]

bloomen said:

I prefer the term 'piece of meat' regardless of what gender anyone is.

That would go down well in church.

I still ponder (at 43) what to call a new woman in my life....

Edited by 227bhp on Friday 3rd July 23:24

[Martin_M]

I know a chap who always refers to his wife as 'her' or 'she'...always makes me cringe.

[pmanson]

227bhp said:

bloomen said:

I prefer the term 'piece of meat' regardless of what gender anyone is.

That would go down well in church.

I still ponder (at 43) what to call a new woman in my life....

Edited by 227bhp on Friday 3rd July 23:24

Victim?

[Monkeylegend]

227bhp said:

That would go down well in church.

I still ponder (at 43) what to call a new woman in my life....

Edited by 227bhp on Friday 3rd July 23:24

Prostitute?

[Martin_M]

227bhp said:

That would go down well in church.

I still ponder (at 43) what to call a new woman in my life....

Edited by 227bhp on Friday 3rd July 23:24

Ping?

[Hoofy]

pmanson said:

227bhp said:

bloomen said:

I prefer the term 'piece of meat' regardless of what gender anyone is.

That would go down well in church.

I still ponder (at 43) what to call a new woman in my life....

Edited by 227bhp on Friday 3rd July 23:24

Victim?

We think alike.

[james7]

227bhp said:

I still ponder (at 43) what to call a new woman in my life....

I just ask what their working name is when I book them. Most are not offended when I forget

[craig_m67]

silverfoxcc said:

Following the legalisation of same sex marriages, i am getting a little confused on who is who in these.
I have seen Stephen Fry refer to his partner as his Husband,so what is Fry if the terms of Husband and Wife is being used. also in two Woman/Woman marriages recently i have seen both husband and wife being used to describe the other partner.

Could someone explain how it is established in a marriage,is it physical or mental i would like to konw as my sons friend is in a relationship and i just want to get it right should it crop up,forewarned etc

What does your son say?
(Or are you just a troll?)

[moleamol]

silverfoxcc said:

Could someone explain how it is established in a marriage,is it physical or mental i would like to konw as my sons friend is in a relationship and i just want to get it right should it crop up,forewarned etc

Why do you need to know? Do you always refer to people in a relationship by the term society deems acceptable? It might be odd but I tend to use their name.

[Zod]

Harry Enfield made a series of documentaries about these situations in the late 1990s.

[RDMcG]

I have a number of married gay friends and neighbours. The safest term seems to be "Spouse"

[Einion Yrth]

Gay people are gay, not stupid; they'll be fully aware that their situation is such that society hasn't really created any rules around yet, so I wouldn't have thought they'd get offended whichever terms you used. FWIW the only married gay couple I know of each refer to the other as her wife.

[silverfoxcc]

craig,
not a troll, just an old fashoined bloke who doesnt want to put his foot in it. At the moment Partner will do me fine

[Kiltie]

I thought if it was two blokes then it was husband + husband.

Conversely, two women = wife + wife.

Isn't that right?

[Kermit power]

RDMcG said:

I have a number of married gay friends and neighbours. The safest term seems to be "Spouse"

I'm always somewhat surprised when straight people post on threads such as these referring to the number of gay people they know.

I've certainly met gay people, and have absolutely no problem with people being gay, but other than the chap 2 doors away from us now (who isn't married, so is useless as a frame of reference for this thread!), I've never had any gay people as neighbours, let alone several!