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With the inclusion of morality clauses in the contracts of Hollywood actors in the 1920s, some closeted stars contracted marriages of convenience to protect their public reputations and preserve their careers. A noteworthy exception that demonstrated the precarious position of the public homosexual was that of William Haines, who brought his career to a sudden end at the age of 35. He refused to end his relationship with his male partner, Jimmy Shields, and enter into a marriage at the direction of his studio employer, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Some companies punished actors for defying these clauses by not paying them. Universal Film Company justified their actions by labeling the actor's behavior as unacceptable, this included having attractions that weren't heterosexual. These clauses placed actors in a difficult situation as they put their livelihoods on the line and essentially pressured them into lavender marriages. Lavender marriages were also a way to preserve the public's image of a celebrity, especially if these celebrities were famous for their looks or sex appeal. The end of the 20th century brought about a change for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly after the 1969 Stonewall riots because of this lavender marriages between celebrities became less common.

Although lavender marriages are typically associated with LGBTQ+ celebrities, people of all backgrounds have used these marriages for protection and convenience. These individuals have found solace on websites to express their distress about their marriages of "convenience" but there are not very many individuals that have come out to talk about their experience outside of the internet apart from "the Guardian published an article in November 2019 asking individuals to share their reasons for marrying for convenience. "   and an article published by the BBC on November 2017 about marriages of convenience in Asian LGBTQ+ communities in the UK.

The BBC article and the participants refer to a marriage of convenience instead of a lavender marriage but they still are referring to a marriage that hides one or both partner's sexuality. Individuals reported that family expectations and keeping up an image were several reasons why they had a marriage of convenience. Awemir Iqbal, a gay man originally from Pakistan and residing in West Yorkshire, stated that he understood why people had a marriage of convenience because it will satisfy their families wishes. A fear of tarnishing their family name or being disowned if they were to express their sexuality by pursuing same-sex relationships leads some to find a marriage of convenience. Support for LGBTQ+ individuals are coming from Karma Nirvana, a group that helped individuals escaping forced marriages. Karma Nirvana's, Jasvinder Sanghera, says there are probably more marriages of convenience than are reported. Websites like Mocmatch, Saathinight, Al-Jannah are places where individuals can find partners to partake in a marriage of convenience.

Lavender marriages or marriages of convenience can be found where same-sex marriages or the LGBTQ+ community is not accepted like China. During the Chinese New Year, people travel home to celebrate with their families but young people also have to worry about pressures surrounding marriage and having kids. For gay Chinese men and lesbian Chinese women, societal pressure to have a heterosexual relationship is so profound that they turn to lavender marriages or "cooperative [marriages]". Some individuals like Tiger Zhao marry lesbian women to undertake societal and parental expectations and ease some pressure. Many couples report these lavender marriages to do more harm than good if individuals deny themselves the expression of their sexuality outside of the marriage. Once again, this topic is not publicly discussed because homosexuality is not widely accepted. However, smaller LBTQ+ communities have gained momentum in order for an app specifically focused on providing lavender marriages for LBTQ+ individuals that need it. The app called Queers has been discontinued but it made such an impact in the LBTQ+ community that old members are asking Queers founder, Liao Zhuoying, for a partner of the opposite sex they can take home to prevent nagging from family members.