"I do"

Being as liberal as Berkeley, it is common to see couples of the same sex publicly holding hands and tying the knot by saying the two most important words—“I do.” It is clearly a controversial issue amongst the people all over the world because everyone holds their own perspective regarding such a situation. What we care about at the moment is how Austin may interpret this situation as well as the meaning of these two words.

First, we should take a look at conditions that must be satisfied in order for it to be a performative action. If Austin believes that gay marriage is an accepted conventional procedure, then it would begin to fall under the category of performative action. In addition to that, as long as the couple fulfills the procedure “correctly,” and “completely,” nothing is violated. In this case, Austin would say that this marriage could take place as long as the utterance of those two words is said with true feelings, thoughts, and intentions. "I do" can be said as many times as a person wants, but feelings could be unattached and actions may not follow through. Each person must sincerely speak these two words and make a commitment to their partner.

According to his rules, he would approve of a ceremony of this sort to take place, but during his lecture, he also mentions how difficult it is to determine the relation between “I do” and consummation. Many statements are classified as true or false, but Austin believes that it can be neither. In this case, there is an “unhappy situation” because something is missing and unfulfilled. The case of marriage can vary depending on the people participating in the ceremony and their true feelings.