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Are Gay Marriages a Question of Conservatism or Liberalism? Today the perception of family life consists of a picturesque scene with a white picket fence surrounding a house with a Golden Retriever playing with the children in the backyard. This setting has quite a bit changed, and according to Sullivan, the judicial systems needs to recognize atypical lifestyles of family living. Sullivan presents to the reader a case in which the New York City Judicial System faced earlier this year. This case dealt with the rights of ownership after a partner of a gay relationship deceased. The Judge ruled that the gay partner is considered a family member only on the basis that there was an “interwoven social life”(449) and “emotional commitment”(449) to each other. This quandary enters the ideas of “domestic partnership laws.” Sullivan explains how he is against domestic partnership laws and how he believes marriage is a conservative step towards for gays. Andrew Sullivan, editor of the The New Republic, attempts to convince the reader to agree with his argument as to why a move towards gay marriages is a positive stride for society as a whole. He begins his argument with the ruling of the New York rent-control case.