My partner and I celebrated our 14th anniversary together the end of May. Since funds were limited for our annual Memorial Day vacation we decided to keep it low-key and revisit a place that was and is very special to us...Ogunquit, Maine.Ogunquit was our first trip away together when we lived in NYC and started dating. We went their many times over the years we were in New York. It was just a half day's drive from the city but could not have been any different than the cacophony that is Manhattan. The pounding surf against the barren rocky cliffs was music to the ears and the quaint "Murder She Wrote" villages were in stark contrast to the canyon of towers in the city. And the lobster!
Before our recent trip we had been discussing what to do in 2010 for our 15th Anniversary. It is definitely a milestone (more like 100 in gay years) and we would like to do something memorable. As Maine had just enacted Gay Marriage legislation we seriously considered exchanging vows in Ogunquit to mark the occasion. It looks like that isn't going to happen now...
Last night Maine voters decided to repeal the legislation that would have allowed us to celebrate our union in a somewhat legal sense. Like many other states, the majority of its constituents feel that my ability to "marry" my partner is an attack on the sanctity of their unions and/or religion, therefore it should not be allowed.
I could stand on my soapbox till I'm blue in the face trying to convince these bigots and zealots that religion has nothing to do with this issue. If they and their churches do not believe that this should be, they do not have to accept me into their house of worship and perform this rite/right, I will be more than happy to go to my local justice of the peace and leave them and their GOD out of it.
All I ask for is the basic liberties that every other married American citizen is able to enjoy, the majority of whom have no knowledge of these said rights. Why should my partner and I who pay pay all the same taxes as straight couples not be afforded our shared insurance benefits, social security benefits, medical directives & visitation? All men are created equal under our constitution. When will we have the chance to be treated as equals?
Although our ceremony in Maine would not have given us these rights, at least it would have given us some semblance of joy in celebrating our relationship and knowing that our partnership was being recognized for what it is.
Instead of planning a 15th Anniversary celebration, I can now only look forward to what may be for the future.
Meanwhile, if anyone is looking for me, I'll be sitting in the back of the bus...
