Today’s topic is one that will be more personal for each person who is at least a partial devotee of Hera. It is the topic of what (if any) modern social issues that Hera would have an interest in. For me, there are two of them. These are Women’s Rights and Marriage Equality. I consider these to both be closely tied to her roles in ancient times.
While women were not fully citizens in Classical Greece and Rome due to societal norms, this does not negate the fact that we have — at least in part — progressed to the point in Western societies where women are vocally working to change those norms to one where women are considered equal to men in all civil arenas. These include (among others): employment opportunities, pay, reproductive freedoms (pro-choice includes the choice to not abort a child), the freedom to not be judged as “inviting” invasions of our lives due to how we dress — whether that be in revealing or traditionally “modest” clothing such as the Muslim hijab. It also includes limiting the ages where a girl is considered mature enough to marry. It is from freedoms like these that women, as well as men, can follow Hera in ALL her aspects.
The other issue is one of Marriage Equality. As Hera is a goddess who is particularly associated with marriage, it is an issue that She would have an interest in — even if She did not also have an interest in woman’s issues. This includes marriages which are completely heterosexual and monogamous. This includes same-sex marriages. This includes HONEST polyamorous relationships (which include guidelines agreed on by all concerned). This includes inter-racial marriages. This includes inter-faith marriages where both faiths (or atheism/agnosticism on the part of one partner) are honored by the parties of the marriage. It is the HONESTY in the marriage that Hera is interested in, NOT the form of the marriage itself.
I know that people may disagree with me about these issues, but as I said at the beginning of this post — this is one where people’s understanding of Hera will color their feelings concerning the issues Hera would care for.
Oh, I hadn’t thought of women’s equality in my post.
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It is from women’s equality that the marriage equality movement gets a lot of its support
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I didn’t really go into marriage equality either, as I want to keep that for the post about gender and sexuality.
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The reason that I went into marriage equality is that I see it as something that SHOULD be separate from gender identity or sexuality. And as Hera is the Goddess who “governs” the area of marriage it naturally falls to her.
For me, marriage is a social contract between adults which provides for greater simplicity for such things as taxes, child care, and inheritance. Whether same-sex or opposite-sex partners are involved is NOT what makes a marriage for me.
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