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Artists Hack Dictionary to Amend Definition of Marriage


July 15, 2013 | Andy Cush

The Oxford American Dictionary defines marriage as “the formal union of a man and woman by which they become husband and wife,” which, in 2013, is starting to look more than a little dated. To combat that, a group of anonymous artists printed stickers with an amended definition– “the formal union of two people by which they become partners for life” –then applied them to copies of the dictionary in bookstores and libraries around San Fransisco. They’ve even made their sticker available for download, in case you want to get in on the fun.

UPDATE: ANIMAL reached out to the artists for comment.

Marriage Equality is an issue where a lot of progress has been made recently, but where older institutions have yet to adapt,” a representative told us. “We decided to speed things up by hacking the institution that literally provides meaning to our lives: the dictionary.”

We envision a city where every library and every bookstore has a hacked dictionary that reflects this more accurate meaning of marriage,” they added. “Because when our definitions change, we change. As a people, as a culture, as a society.”