Thursday, June 25, 2015

T'was the Night Before SCOTUS

Tonight has such a weird feeling to it.  It's like Christmas night as a child except on a much grander scale.  Tomorrow I may find the most amazing gift waiting for me, a large lump of coal, or, possibly, a gift that is like a piece of clothing that is nice but isn't quite the right size or color.  I'm hoping, of course, for the first possibility.  


Tomorrow, I will awaken early and head downtown to gather with others in hopes that the Supreme Court of the United States not only validates the legally performed marriages of same-sex couples in other states, but that they also open the door for loving, committed same-sex couples to express their love for each other by joining together in legally recognized marriages here in Ohio.  

For a single guy with no prospects for a committed relationship on the horizon, this might not seem like a big deal, but it's about so much more than marriage.  For someone who spent most of their life trying to find acceptance not only from society but also from myself, this decision represents validation on the highest level.  For the highest court in the nation to look at me and every other member of the LGBTQ community and say that I am just as worthy of love and acceptance as anyone else in the country will mean more than any gift I could even imagine.

Sadly, it won't mean that the battle is over.  I still live in one of 29 states where, even if marriage suddenly becomes the law of the land, a couple could get married on Saturday and find themselves fired from their jobs or evicted from their home on Monday.  Still, if the Supreme Court hands us a victory tomorrow and gives us the mountain top, I'll be happy to climb back down and conquer the rest of the mountain.  Our work won't be done until everyone is able to live in a world where, not only are they free to build a life and committed relationship together, they can also live out that life without fear of suddenly having their incomes or the roof over their heads taken away from them.

Well, time for bed.  I have a feeling that this is going to be a restless night.

~ Culbs


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