2constellations asked: Is marriage necessary?

Not at all. Marriage is a personal choice, though for many, it is a required institution for the participation in equality on a government level. For instance, an American citizen cannot bring to the US their significant other unless that person is married or engaged to married in a way that is recognized by the Federal government. This is why gay people cannot currently bring their non-American spouses to the US, because the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prohibits federal recognition of any same-sex union as a “marriage.” For others, marriage is a means to reap certain financial benefits to support themselves, their spouse, and/or their family.

For many others, however, marriage is nothing more than a personal choice, and I don’t believe anyone should seek after marriage if they don’t want to. The truest marriage, that is, the most divine union between two or more people, exists in pure love, not merely paper. 

Be blessed!