My Marriage

Tomorrow the California Supreme Court decides if my marriage is legal or not. Tomorrow they decide if Prop 8 is overturned or not. Tomorrow my life as a wife could change. It is disheartening to know that at 1pm (eastern time) I could not be married anymore. Tomorrow at 1pm, 17,999 other couples could not be married anymore. It is so sad that people feel it is their right to take away my happiness. They argue that they aren't against me, they are just upholding what is tradition, what is right. Tradition used to be to own a slave, own a woman, put mentally ill, developmentally disabled and disabled in an institution. Traditions change because we realize that they are not right. I don't know what the Supreme Court is going to decide tomorrow. The experts are saying they will not overturn Prop 8 but will uphold all the marriages that happened before Prop 8, including mine and the 17,999 others. But, what does that mean. Am I to celebrate because I am still married, am still a wife. Am I to be angry and protest because they ruled to uphold an amendment that to me seems so unconstitutional. What am I to do?

I guess I will know better tomorrow after I hear the decision. My wife, Leah, and I will be at the Albany, NY Day of Decision. If you are in the Capital District area, join us for celebration and/or protest. If not, check the Day of Decision website for an event near you. They are holding them all over the country and Canada as well. Here's hoping it will be celebration.

Go Maine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Official Statement from Governor John E. Baldacci's office:

Governor Signs LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom. Signed on this day, May 6, 2009.

AUGUSTA – Governor John E. Baldacci today signed into law LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom.
“I have followed closely the debate on this issue. I have listened to both sides, as they have presented their arguments during the public hearing and on the floor of the Maine Senate and the House of Representatives. I have read many of the notes and letters sent to my office, and I have weighed my decision carefully,” Governor Baldacci said. “I did not come to this decision lightly or in haste.”
“I appreciate the tone brought to this debate by both sides of the issue,” Governor Baldacci said. “This is an emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important ideals and traditions. There are good, earnest and honest people on both sides of the question.”
“In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions,” Governor Baldacci said. “I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.”
“Article I in the Maine Constitution states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against.’”
“This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State,” Governor Baldacci said.
“It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.”
“Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word,” Governor Baldacci said. “Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people.”
“While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do,” Governor Baldacci said.

I absolutely love his reasoning. I love that he listened to both sides and came down on the side of equality. I love that he said that "it reaffirms the separation of Church and State." Thank you Governor Baldacci.

Kelly McGillis is a lesbian!!!!

Okay, this is not news to the millions of lesbians out there. Yes, Kelly, we all knew. We were just waiting. And now, she has officially come out to vlogger, Jennifer Corday, at shewired. And, btw, she is still as hot as she was back in the '80's! Check it out:



I, as a young, newly out, lesbian, fell in lust with her when I first saw her breasts in Witness. Then as the hot, tough teacher in Top Gun. Damn! I had heard the rumors back then. I had hoped, dreamed and waited. Then she appears in the L-Word. Well, that is all it took. Good for you girl. Welcome to the family. Now, join us in our fight for LGBT equality.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordful Wednesday

Go Hillary Duff! I knew I liked her.

Wordful Wednesday

I am stepping away from Wordless Wednesday because I have some things to say today. Today is considered Tax Day. Everywhere around the US, people are going to their respective Post Offices to mail their taxes. Some because they owe and wanted to wait until the last minute to pay and others because they forgot to do them earlier. My wife, Leah, and I finished our taxes last month. Unfortunately, we could not file together as married, even though NYS recognizes our marriage. See, there is this little glitch with the Federal income taxes. It's called DOMA. Oh, and the little glitch with NYS income taxes, it's tied to the federal taxes.

So, to get to the picture. Around the US today, hundreds, probably thousands, of same-sex marriage supporters will be protesting at their local Post Offices for fair treatment. It's called "Equal Taxes, Equal Rights." Well, unfortunately, the one that was going to happen in Albany, NY was canceled because of lack of participation. Don't get me started on this. I am angry because we had hundreds of people show up for our demonstration against the passage of Prop 8 (which wasn't even our state, mind you) and yet we couldn't get enough people to sign up for this. I guess people need to be angry to join together. Bull, people. It's not about getting together once to protest an atrocity, it's about fighting the fight continuously until it is changed. I digress, sorry.

So, the picture. I decided to protest myself at the Saratoga Springs Post Office, during my lunch hour. I thought long and hard and felt I had to do this. How can I ask others to fight for me, to vote for same sex marriage, if I am not willing to get out there and fight myself. Now, you can ask anyone who knows me. I am not one to start and lead something. I am more of a follower. Give me something to do and I will do it. Ask me to lead or implement it and I run for the hills. This took a lot for me to do. I drove to the Post Office and sat in my car holding my signs. It was a beautiful day out, very sunny in the spot I would stand and yet I sat. I was scared. What would happen. Would people yell at me, throw things, call me names. Would the police ask me to move. I had to will myself out of the car. I had to tell myself, some people may say things, but others may be moved by the experience. Some may even praise me and give a thumbs up. And the police can't ask me to leave, it's a public space. So, out of the car I went. I stood at the corner of a very busy intersection and stood for an hour with my signs.

It was an amazing experience. No one yelled at me, cursed me, threw things. Although, some parents with children steered them clear of me, even while the child was asking, "what does his sign say, Mommy?" hahahahaha. Try explaining that one, Mom. What I did get was a lot of smiles, way to go's, I'm with you, honks in support and thumbs up. It was awesome. Most of the praises and support came from the young teenage community. It was great.

So, what did I take from this experience. I found that yes, I can lead, maybe not a group of people, but myself anyway. I found that one person can make a protest and a difference. I found that I have courage, conviction and strength. I also found hope. Hope in the next generation. I believe that our youth are going to make great changes. They are taking up the fight. They are couragous. They are fighting to have LGBT groups like GSA and GLSEN in their schools. They are fighting the bullies. They are at the protests. They are campaigning for political candidates even though they aren't old enough to vote. I plan to keep on fighting, keep on protesting, keep on lobbying my legislators. Not just for me, but for the next generation. Fight with me. Make changes. Make a difference.

Wordless Wednesday