About this whole marriage thing:

We were married in a no-witness civil ceremony six months ago. We did it for a number of reasons, not the least of which was our love for each other, but also for insurance benefits, power of attorney, the right to make decisions in an emergency, and so forth. In computing our federal taxes this year, we originally intended to file separately, but in a weird system that I still don't understand, we would end up owing the government money if we filed separately, but by filing jointly, we don't pay anything. We are rewarded by our partnership, to which there were no witnesses other than the clerk of the court. Our state doesn't require witnesses or even blood testing. It does, however, require that the active participants in the ceremony be of the opposite sex. (Strangely, it should be noted that while the restrictions on same sex marriage is clearly defined, the restrictions on marrying a blood relative, while technically grounds for anullment, are extraordianrily lax. I guess kissing cousins is okay for the state, as long as those cousins aren't gay.)

I bring this up not in a boastful way, not at all. I bring it up to remind you all that a prejudice does exist in this country today, where men and women are rewarded for doing what two people who have a lifelong commitment to each other would naturally want to do. Homosexuals in this country have never had the right to marry, and as such can never be rewarded in the way that we have. If I had the opportunity to do it again, I would choose to take my vows in San Francisco or Massachusetts, where lawmakers are working hard to change this inequality. I'm sure E would feel the same way. I'd like to think that equal rights under the law really means what it says. One day, I'm sure it will.