Do you mean in a particular state?

It seems like it should be so simple to just legalize it federally, but there’ll always be people voting against something that really has no effect on their own lives because of whatever bigotry they may have. Being from the first state to legalize same-sex marriages makes me hopeful; it’s a (baby)step in the right direction, but until there is a federal law there is no way for equality to exist. Civil union does not = marriage, regardless of how hard people try to suggest that it does. Your predicament makes me very sad, to see good people denied benefits based on something so trivial as their sexual orientation is just sickening. Good luck in your fight, and continue to stand strong! (:

of Gay marriage as a civil function – nor am I in favor of breeder marriage as a civil function.

Let everybody who wants to have civil unions – and leave the marriage part up to the church, the lodge, the country club or whatever.

The problem is that we have legally confounded both the contract of living together and the celebration of living together. These are two separate things.

Having a member of the clergy administer a civil function (creating the civil contract) is nutty. Anybody can go online, become ordained and then marry people.

I have no problem with just “anybody” presiding over a celebration. But the civil part, the part that says you are legally entitled to inherit from your partner, visit your partner in the hospital, become guardian of your partner’s children in case of their demise, pay partner support and/or child support in the case of dissolution, etc – that ought not to be done by clergy, but by civil experts (mediators, lawyers, counselors).

...in any major way.

I think it’s one of those things that is best supported and changed by the way one lives one’s life and also doing the common ordinary things one can.

Live YOUR life like it’s legal, as much as you can do so, vote for those people who seem to support your views, speak intelligently to your friends about it, speak to people who listen as you’re doing here, talk to your kids and nieces and nephews…to kids...intelligently about the subject.

I think people, especially gay people, are entitled to scream and bellow about the unfairness, hate, bigotry, stupidity, and meanness of the whole thing…but I also think that doesn’t get them anywhere very much.

See? Listen to that queer! That’s what I’m talking about…

I see the tide shifting over the past couple years and it is seeming to gain momentum. It can’t be stopped…and though I understand your chagrin and eagerness to have it change NOW…it will be largely sane shortly.

Just hold on a bit longer.

And this is more than just an academic discussion for me.

I have homos living in MY house, too…

And as if THAT weren’t sinful enough, one is half Puerto Rican, half Italian…and the other…shhh…colored!

Although at this particular moment I would probably be looking for a lawyer to handle my gay divorce…..fleeting love and all that….

I wonder what the Social Security Administration’s stand is on couples married in Canada.

Generally, they take the most liberal stand available, meaning that if your marriage is recognized in any state and you have spent one night together as married in that state, you are married for their purposes.

There is a legal doctrine that has gotten a lot of play throughout the civil rights movement that says it is illegal to discriminate in the making of public policy against anyone because they are different. Ultimately, this is the essence of basic human rights. It is simply wrong to take away anyone’s rights because they are different.

I hope one day that dogs will be recognized as family members and that landlords will not be able to discriminate against them, but I can see that day is far off when our government is occupying itself with making (crappy) decisions about who gets to marry and who doesn’t.

We’re all going to have dancing in the streets when gay marriage is finally recognized as legitimate by the federal government!