Friday
June 26, 2015 will be a day that many in the LGBT+ community will always
remember, it is the day that we got the right to marry. I will admit I was in
shock. I really didn’t believe that I would see it in my lifetime and I am only
34. I expected that this would be the thing of future generations who were
wiser and more learned than my own. So to see it happen was a total surprise to
me. I look at Jim Obergefell who brought the case to the Supreme Court with
admiration. His courage to take a stand and fight is awe inspiring.
I am thankful for this because as I
have gotten older marriage is one of those things that I think I would consider.
I spent my teens and 20s dismissing marriage as an archaic concept. Now I see
it as something beautiful that exist as a symbol of love, not just a government
contract. When the fight for marriage equality began it was before I came to
terms with my sexuality and I remember looking at images of happy same-sex
couples getting married and feeling a pang in my heart, and secretly wishing
that was me one day.
I’m thankful for this because what
it means beyond love. Yes love is important, and being in love is the reason
you should get married, but there’s legal issues too, and marriage equality
opened up a whole host of legal protections for same-sex couples. From things
like being able to be by your dying partners side or being able to leave your
pension to your partner in the event of your death. These are the things that
we should have had a long time ago, but at least we have them now, and I’m
grateful for that.
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