( An historic first )Summary: Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon have become the first same-sex couple to be officially married in the United States.
Now, of course, there are going to be challenges, and I suppose it's not going to stand the legal test. But I applaud Gavin Newsom and other officials of the city of San Francisco for trying.
And check that relationship length --
51 years as a couple as of this Saturday. That means they got together in 1953. They have been a loving couple since 1953.
"Ruin the sanctity of marriage", my ass. These women have been together longer than any straight married couple I know, including my own family members (excluding marriages ended by death).
The average first marriage lasts 11 years. The divorce rate is 50%. Those statistics will probably remain the same if gay marriage is legalized, whether it's called "Marriage" or not.
And by the way -- here's a solution to that marriage/civil union problem (and full credit should go to
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elisandra, I just agreed with her after she said it): End "marriage" as a legal device. ALL unions, whether straight or gay, should be legal, civil unions. Leave marriage where it belongs -- in the church.
Put another way:
"Marriage" is the ceremony performed by your minister, and no one should EVER have the right to force a minister to marry ANYONE, gay or straight, that he thinks shouldn't be married, for whatever reason -- whether it's because marrying you doesn't agree with his religion, or because he doesn't like you, or because your tie offends him.
"Civil Union" is the legal process by which you get the rights of marriage.
51 years. I only hope I can keep Elizabeth happy that long. I certainly intend to try.
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