I'm new at this but here goes.

Well, Pres. Obama finally signed a bill…the Matthew Sheperd Act. It's nice to see that, after all the homophobic hate speech and excuses as to why it isn't needed, it passed and Pres. Obama signed it. Now, Mr President, let's see some action on DADT and DOMA!

In the run-up to the Maine proposition to revoke GLBTQ civil rights (AGAIN) Peter Labarbara and Co. made royal fools of themselves by mouthing off and so now instead of the whole world THINKING that they are idiots, it KNOWS that they are. I am serious when I say all of them act as if they are not well people, Peter sounding the craziest of the three.

This whole marriage equality mess has me steaming just about as hot as the House Blend steams. What is wrong with two people loving one another, committing to one another and sharing their lives? This is a case of religious (and other) busybodies sticking their nose in where it isn't wanted. Gay marriage does not impact “traditional marriage” in any way. This is just more need on the part of one portion of the population to be able to look down on another portion of the population. That's it, purely and simply.  It is mean-spirited, discrimnatory and really benefits no one, not even the haters.

When my spouse and I wed in 2007, we decided to go to Canada to wed since it is legal there and unlikely to be revoked. Also, they were kind enough to make certain there were no residency or citizenship requirements. When we walked into the Marriage License Bureau, we were treated like any other couple coming in to get their license to marry. We showed our IDs and birth certificates, were sworn, signed the forms, paid our fee and in about twenty minutes we had our marriage license. No carrying on, no fundies running around screaming “Sinful! Perverted! These women marrying will end the world!” Just a pleasant lady helping us to get married. The wedding was beautiful as well. Small and intimate in a beautiful little park on the Detroit River, with all those who love us present. I couldn't have wished for it to turn out any better because it was PERFECT.

Back in August when Maggie Gallagher and her cronies held that stupid celebration in Rhode Island, I thought to myself, the gays who showed up should have thought about bringing along a few MCC ministers and had their own little marriage thing going. People like NOM disgust me. They are so willing to see evil in others that they see something potentially very beautiful (like marriage equality) as dirty, sinful, perverted, nasty…and any other adjectives one might wish to add. Their marriages must really be fragile if a same-sex couple's marrying will endanger them.

My late mother was really bent out of shape when I came out to her in 1973. I mean she did the whole crying and carrying on bit. She stayed opposed to the thought of my being a lesbian for many years. Then when, in 2006, we discussed my possibly marrying a woman, she told her therapist and me, “I don't think I have all that many years left–maybe two or three. When I die I wat to be certain that Ioan is happy. And if a woman is what will make her happy, I'm all for it.” And this from a 90-year old woman raised strict Missouri Synod Lutheran! When I married in Canada the following September, she was there to see my spouse and me wed and fully accepted my spouse as her daughter-in-law. The point here? That if an 90-year old fundamentalist Lutheran woman could open her heart and realise that love is love, then there is no excuse for these other fundies not to open their hearts except that they don't want to. That is the bottom line here, folks. They want to hold on to their hate and discrimination because it makes them feel righteous before God.

People really need to wake up and smell the coffee. There is nothing wrong with two people of the opposite or the same sex marrying and building a life together. The sooner this country realises it, the better off all of us–straight and GLBTQ will be.