esrosedotblog

Courage and determination have marked the gay rights and gay marriage movements from the beginning.

Here are the first guys to get a license and to marry.

The Same-Sex Couple Who Got a Marriage License in 1971

In 1971, I was still pondering the decision I would make three years later to come out as a gay man.

These guys made it through the Federal Court system and got a one line rejection from the Supreme Court to hear their appeal.

They got married anyway, as many of us did eventually. John and I got married two times, maybe three. First was a commitment ceremony, then we had a real (defrocked) Methodist minister do it again.

Finally here in Palm Springs, in the first brief window before they took our legislated rights away again, we had our vows. Eventually when Prop 8 was passed on the ballot, we really really got married. A license and a certificate and all. They hang on the wall behind me.

I know. I know. A lot of people think that it doesn't matter. I am here to tell you that it does matter. A committed relationship is not the same as a marriage. You know, we have to conform to all the laws anyone else does. It is all in that one word. Marriage. And you don't have to right any more down. The recognition that all loving couples get through the system is a validation and a true acknowledgement that gender does not have to do with marriage. Love does.

I can still feel how it was when I looked at John and said "I do". Deep down inside. Full bore marriage. There is no other word for it that can carry the same weight.

Labels: gay marriage