Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA

The brave lady who started it all - thank you Edith!

YES!  I can't believe it.  I'm still trying to absorb the full impact of the Supreme Court ruling today that struck down the discriminatory DOMA law that banned same sex marriage.  

The first thought that comes to my mind is "So this is what freedom feels like."  

I have yet another "moment" that I will remember the rest of my life where I was when I heard this news.  Damn, this is a GOOD feeling.

This means that when Bill and I get married we will have the same respect and legal protections that heterosexual couples have taken for granted for millennia.  We also will have 1,138 Federal benefits. Man oh man.  I can't believe that I have the option to file a joint tax return with Bill.

No longer will Bill and I be considered less than equal.  For this to happen in my lifetime is still hard for me to absorb.  I can't stop smiling.

So much to think of.  So many changes.  First I'm going to have to get used to referring to Bill as "my husband."  You know folks, every time I heard heterosexuals refer to their "husband" or "wife" I always had a twinge of envy and also feeling less than because I had to refer to Bill as "my partner", like I was in a business relationship. At least "my partner" was an improvement over "my lover" which was how we gays used to refer to our partners back in the old pre-Stonewall days.  

I'm also happy for my LGBT friends who have children.  They too will now be treated equally and not as "less than."  

Now I'm wondering if my local representative, Stephen Smyk (R-Del) will finally acknowledge me as his constituent and answer my mail.  Who knows?  Maybe he'll get on the right side of history and recognize that Bill and I are equal.  Next time when he knocks on my door asking my support because he is the "family values candidate", he will include my family.  

U. S. Supreme Court To Hear Proposition 8!

Finally!  The Supreme Court is taking the first step to granting same sex couples the same rights that heterosexual couples have had since the founding of this country.  

First same sex couple to receive marriage license in Washington State

The DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) is fundamentally an unconstitutional law and everyone knows it.

Junia and Patty get married in Washington State

Equal protection under the law is a fundamental right.

Dan Savage and his husband get married in Washington 

Marriage is not about constant sex but a loving and committed relationship.

One of hundreds of couples getting married in Washington State

Everyone has a fundamental right to pursue happiness which is guaranteed in our constitution.

Together 40 years

In this country we deny a portion of our population this fundamental right of the way they happen to be born.  

Guess who? Together 48 years!

This is the beginning the end of the discrimination of same sex marriages in this country folks.  

Tyler Clementi

Tyler Clementi was a young man who committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington bridge.

He was distraught and embarrassed because two of his college roommates apparently thought it was great fun to videotape Tyler's first sexual encounter and post it to Facebook. 

The roommates, Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei (both 18) were charged with invasion of privacy.  Prison terms are threatened.  Note this right now......NOTHING WILL HAPPEN TO THEM.  NOTHING.  There will be a lot of sturm und drang but in the end yet another case of homophobia, gay bashing will go unpunished.

In this country today, where we have the ridiculous, discriminatory and absurd "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and the DOMA law in full effect and backed up to the hilt by our country, gays and lesbians will always be less than whole. 

That a young man like Tyler Clementi would be so ashamed of his sexual identity that he felt the need to destroy himself once his sexual identity was made public is beyond sad. 

Lately I've been posting blogs that are "down."  I was all prepared to post an upbeat and happy blog today.  However, after hearing this heartbreaking news and the continuing officially sanctioned discrimination against gays and lesbians, I had no other choice but to voice my sadness, anger and frustration. 

I think it's time for President Obama to set an example for this country from the top and stop the expulsion of gay and lesbians from the military.  Once this country understands that being gay isn't something to be ashamed of, then maybe this young person's death will not of been in vain. 

Now is the time President Obama. 

Lead.