We all know that marriage remains one of the world's most divisive political issues. Christian and conservative activists are always griping that the "blessed union" should be between a man and a woman. Because, you know, God wanted it that way so we could have babies and the such. Author Susan Squire's new book, I Don't: A Contrarian History Of Marriage, undercuts such right-wing arguments.

Squire, who happens to be our friend, argues that marriage isn't based on God's word at all. In fact, many societies only used marriage for its practical purpose: maintaining a straight lineage. The Israelites, like Sarah and Abraham, whom we've pictured above, had strict laws in order to ensure a valid lineage. Sex wasn't the problem. It was infidelity.

Early Christian leaders, like lust-phobic Augustine, introduced the "marriage bed" not because they feared bastard children or God's wrath, but for fear of lust. Nuptials were a practicality and it wouldn't be until Martin Luther and his Reformation that emotions would be injected into the marital mix.

Our editor picks Squire's brain, after the jump…

[Image by Lars Justinen]

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From the Editor: The woman you see at the right goes by the name Janet Webb, but I call her "Gram," a somewhat lazy pronunciation of "Grandma."

This Janet's a pretty radical lady and has been roaming this planet, wreaking havoc, for almost eighty-five years. Considering all she's seen in her time, I decided to ring her up for a spur of the moment interview.

After the jump, read Janet's thoughts on the gays, meeting my late grandfather, getting older, my younger self and what she thinks of anti-gay marriage activists. Her response may not be safe for work. That's my granny!

Meanwhile, hats off to my mother, Marsha, who took this lovely picture with her camera phone. Mom, you're so 21st century! Xoxo.

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What better way to prepare for gay pride weekend than by reliving prides past? The fellas over at The Sword collected some killer footage of vintage queens doing their thing in the days of yore. Above you'll find a clip from San Francisco's "Eight Annual Gay Freedom Day Parade," which went down way back in 1979, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. You can see one in the background - a big purple beast.

We gays make absolutely fascinating documentary subjects.

Thus, here's a rundown of "ten gay documentaries everyone should see" - or face the queer consequences. The list includes fan favorites like For The Bible Tells Me So, Paris Is Burning and, yes, queer theory staple The Celluloid Closet.

While those are all well-and-good, we've decided to include a clip of Gay Sex In The 70s. Why? Because we're lecherous!

Forty years ago today, Martin Luther King, Jr., was murdered in Memphis, Tenn. He was assassinated before his work was done, but his role as a revolutionary has never been forgotten nor have some of his most famous words. There’s a lot of talk on the web today about how far we’ve come or haven’t come — and I think we both know and mostly agree with the arguments on both sides of that coin…

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Nine out of ten doctor's agree: Barack Obama's "race speech" spurred some serious discussion. Of course, yesterday's remarks were more than just a speech - and they were definitely about more than just race.

Obama wasn't simply addressing political woes. He wasn't making excuses for past associations. This was not some political media play. It was a lesson in liberation - and it's up to Americans to take up the Senator's challenge.

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British King Richard I and France's Phillip II may finally be clear of all those posthumous rumors! Some people called the late royals gay for a night they spent together during the middle ages. But London School of Economic history professor John Gillingham insists the boys weren't gay, just politically savvy:

The idea wasn't even mooted until 1948 and it stems from an official record announcing that, as a symbol of unity between the two countries, the kings of France and England had slept the night in the same bed.

"It was an accepted political act, nothing sexual about it; just two politicians literally getting into bed together, a bit like a modern-day photo opportunity.

Thems Europeans sure done had some queer traditions!

No doubt all of our lives would be different without Kennith H. Burns, one of the founding members of the Mattachine Society: the United States' first gay rights movement. The 81-year old died of lung failure in California last month.

A controversial figure in the movement, Burns is credited with moving the Society toward the center:

Burns was a founding member of the Mattachine Society, which was founded in Los Angeles in 1950 by activist Harry Hay and others.

In 1953, when McCarthyism was strengthening its grip on the national consciousness, Hay and other Mattachine leaders with communist ties were ousted and Burns assumed a prominent role in the organization.

The society moved in a more conservative direction during Burns' tenure as Mattachine president in the mid- to late 1950s. Along with other Mattachine leaders, including Harold Call and Don Lucas, he urged members to temper their public image and assimilate into society.

"We must blame ourselves for much of our plight," Burns said during this period. "When will homosexuals ever realize that social reform, in order to be effective, must be preceded by personal reform?"

Though he later stepped down from the Mattachine Society, Burns continued to work with GLAAD and LA's LGBT Center.

It's a historic day in Gayville! From Box Turtle Bulletin:

Today marks a very important milestone in LGBT history. Fifty years ago today, on January 13, 1958, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its first ever pro-gay ruling in ONE Inc. v. Olesen, a landmark decision that allowed a magazine for gays and lesbians to be sent through the U.S. mail.
…
the Supreme Court issued its short, one-sentence decision on January 13, 1958 without hearing oral arguments. That decision not only overturned the two lower courts, but the Court expanded the First Amendment’s free speech and press freedoms by effectively limiting the power of the Comstock Act to interfere with the written word.

Good thing, too, because otherwise we'd be out of a job!