Today’s Pop Quiz on Gay Marriage:  How many same sex marriages are currently recorded in Massachusetts? (Don’t peek! – Take a good guess and look for the answer at the end of today’s post).

I’ve decided to add a new series to Coach Sappho’s ‘Authentic Loving’ blog called, simply ‘Gay Marriage Update’ (if you can think of a better catch phrase which describes these posts, email me and let me know). 

As I come across the news and events regarding gay marriage that I think important for you to know (such as the positive progress of same sex marriage rights in the U.S. and around the world), I’ll do my best to cull news together in one place for you here!

I’m hoping you, as a savvy reader, will increase your interest in the subject of gay marriage.  I make no bones about it – I believe gays and lesbians should have the same rights as straight couples in marrying the person they love.  I believe, based on my understanding of the U.S. Constitution, that same sex couples are being denied their full and equal rights.  And I also believe that other legal arrangements such as domestic partnership and civil unions don’t quite ‘cut’ it.  Yes, these ‘bandaids’ are better than nothing, but they are a far cry from legal marriage.

We can be the change we want to see.  I want to stand before my loved ones (those family and friends who love me as I am) and the universe and marry my beloved in this lifetime. 

I also don’t want to play the serial monogamy game anymore and I’m tired of U-Haul relating.  I say we need to ‘raise the bar’ on our standards regarding our precious relationships.  Obviously, we are probably doing not much worse than heterosexual marrieds (with their 50-60% divorce rate and 60-some percent marital affair rate), but if we were able to respect ourselves and our relationships more, we could probably show straights a thing or two about keeping a relationship together.

And, with the increase in ability for our communities to connect via the internet, global travel, etc., I believe we can be choosy and we don’t have to settle for a ‘scarcity mentality’ (where we believe we have to settle because it’s so hard to find other same sex, compatible, potential life partners).  How about you? 

If you’re single, aren’t you ready to find a LIFE partner and partnership???  And, if you are in a relationship, aren’t you ready to give it what it needs to last (and grow)?  Afterall, what’s the alternative?  Me myself I’d rather invest – on all levels – in someone and something I know will most likely be there tomorrow.

Even if you are anti-marriage in general, because you’ve seen the negatives of a still, sometimes ‘patriarchal’ system, don’t you want to help those gay friends of yours who WANT to get married succeed?

By reading this blog, I guarantee you will become more knowledgeable about what is going on in the world regarding same sex marriage and why it’s so important for gays to have this right, particularly when it comes to those LESS talked about levels: the impact on an individual’s self esteem, career success, one’s family and community as a whole, children, emotional and physical health, etc.  I also hope you getting more information will inspire you to get more involved in helping justice happen in more places. 

I promise you this: as you join me in helping you and other GLBT’s (and allies)…

• you will improve your own self respect (and happiness) by becoming the best person you can be so you don’t feel you have to ‘settle’ for any relationship
• you will take your time to date and not rush into an exclusive and committed relationship until you are sure it is a great move for you
• you will take even more time as a ‘pre-committed’ or premarital couple to stop and ask yourselves (and truly discern) ‘is this the relationship for me?’ BEFORE you make a formal commitment to one another
• you will walk away if you and your partner aren’t a ‘good enough’ fit
• you will do whatever it takes to be sure your newly minted, committed relationship gets off the ground on the right foot
• you will do whatever it takes to ensure your committed relationship lasts (and is deeply satisfying too)

Wow, I’m psyched, are you?

Gay Marriage Update – April 3, 2007

As usual alot is going on, in our favor!  Kudos to Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, who ordered the recording of 26 marriages that former governor Mitt Romney refused to allow on the record books.  These 26 couples are residents of other states but came to Massachusetts to marry.

I’m glad to see Massachusett’s new governor being more conscious of the gay marriage issue and inclusive of the needs of gay couples.  While these couples still won’t be recognized as married in their states (and of course they still aren’t recognized federally), they are at least being given their due, written recognition in the records, avoiding the invisibility that was occurring.

On another note, hold yer breath:  the city of San Francisco and 22 gay couples from California have gone to the state supreme court to hear their case for equal marriage rights.  A ruling would probably take at least a year, according to experts and this is the path that couples took in Massachusetts, which was the first state to legalize gay marriage, in 2003.

Number of Massachusetts same sex marriages:  approximately 8,000.

Tags: Benefits of Same Sex Marriage, civil unions, commitment ceremony, domestic partnerships, gay marriage, gay wedding

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007 at 5:58 pm and is filed under Committed Relationships, Marriage Equality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.