Bye bye DOMA. Hello marriage equality.

Today is a momentous day!  For one, I finished mowing my one acre yard with a 21" walk behind lawn mower for the first time.  But that is not really what I am talking about.



Today, the Supreme Court struck down the Defense Of Marriage Act, otherwise known as DOMA. Mark this day on your calendars, June 26, 2013 which is just 2 days before the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in NYC.  You can Google that for more info. For those of you who don't know, don't remember, DOMA  is a law that Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed into law that defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman (which to me should have made 2nd, 3rd, and 4th etc marriages illegal at that point, after divorce, but that is for a whole other blog) and basically denied 1,138 federal rights to LGBT couples automatically enjoyed by heterosexual couples simply by signing a marriage license and saying the words "I do".http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04353r.pdf The previous link will take you to a document showing all 1,138 benefits. 
Charlie and I attended a Town Hall Meeting last week sponsored by WLOS Channel 13, or local ABC affiliate about gay marriage.  There was one slick lawyer with a $500 suit and a $100 haircut opposed to gay marriage who spoke eloquently about how it would be the downfall of society, and that if gay people wanted the same rights as heterosexual people, they could simply hire a lawyer to get the same rights.  The problem is that, he was full of as much BS as his hair was gel. For one, IF LGBT couples could afford to hire a lawyer to obtain these rights, there are still hundreds of rights that no lawyer, no matter how good they are can litigate. 

Tonight, we joined a covered dish dinner, sponsored by the Campaign for Southern Equality at First Congregational Church in Downtown Asheville. Together we celebrated the decision of SCOTUS and asked questions of lawyers and others involved in the fight for marriage equality. One of the questions came from a middle aged lesbian who asked: "Does this mean that we should go to a state that does allow gay marriage and get married?" and the answer was a resounding "YES!". With that, she spun around, dropped to down on one knee, and asked her partner of 31 years to marry her!  The room erupted in a standing ovation, cheers and tears. 

So, Charlie and I, as soon as we can save up enough money will be heading to Baltimore to get married.  We never wanted to have a "Civil Union".  We always thought they sounded so generic, sterile and un-romantic.   We hope to be able to do this before Fall.  I never dreamed that this would be a reality in my lifetime.  So wish us luck, and pray that we're able to save enough money soon!  Oh, and for those who hate: I pray for you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atBg9zLI2bA

Happy Gay Month

Kenny