10/27/2006 - 3:49 PM

I don�t have a legal background here, but I�m waiting to see what His Legal Badness has to say on the subject. All I�m saying here is from the perspective of someone who�s been through enough to really speak to the issues at the heart of the ruling/debate. Beside the fact that I would love to legalize the bond that Matt and I have, I know plenty of couples that have the same issues we experience with even more uncertainty, due to less-than-supportive families. So even without a personal relationship that could be affected, I would still have an interest in this discussion.

One of the most striking parts of this ruling to me is that even justices that didn�t go along with the final ruling STILL supported marriage rights. However, this was the �aHA!� moment for me:

�There is, on the one hand, no rational basis for giving gays and lesbians full civil rights as individuals while, on the other hand, giving them an incomplete set of rights when they enter into committed same sex relationships.�

And this, my friends, is what the general public doesn�t get, but will eventually find its way to. Almost no one will tell you that gay people deserve fewer rights. Despite how it may feel at times, this is a relatively accommodating nation. People are, for the most part, fair. Because they�ve never had the �discussion� framed this way, the general public has not had to recognize the true repercussions of one decision.

My opinion on what is an acceptable outcome has changed throughout this process. Originally, I wouldn�t accept anything less than full equality. The concept of �separate but equal� stuck with me from Ms. Wilcox�s 11th grade Social Studies class stuck with me, and I used to see it strictly as a second-class designation. However, as my opinion about marriage as an institution has evolved from a simple acceptance to a more complex view of it as a religious institution, the need to have that name for myself has become less important. The rights, however, are non-negotiable.

[John steps down from his soapbox]

Should be a quiet night�we�re probably just going to get some take-out and snuggle up on the couch to watch Doctor Who. The rest of the weekend should be pretty laid-back as well.

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First Word That Comes To Mind: home

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