It was four years ago that Tiger and I stood in line for hours to get married in San Francisco. To this day, that was one of the most amazing experiences in my life. It felt so amazing to not only be marrying my partner of more than 10 years, but to caught up in the whirlwind of making of history.
We heard about the marriages in San Francisco on Friday and by Saturday we were on a plane and married on Sunday. It seemed the whole city of San Francisco came out to celebrate our union. You can read about that day here.
Such was not the case on Friday, when we went to the County Building to register as domestic partners. We went with our friends Pam & Vicky to make it more festive. We stood in line with the others out to pay their taxes or request a zoning license. A few other lesbian couples were in line, as well as some straight couples filing for marriage licenses. We paid our $60 and then $7.95 for the certified copy because we might need it one day to access a hospital room. It’s all part of what Pam calls, “The gay tax.” We have to pay and pay just to get a fraction of the rights straights do.
There was no hoopla. No champagne toast. Not even a “You may kiss the bride.” Am I glad we have the rights? Yes. Do I feel like a second class citizen, not being allowed to marry? Yes. Will I continue to fight for full marriage equality? Yes. But for now, I’ll take the crumbs, because unfortunately, someday we may need them.
2 comments:
If I would have known and had been able to get there I would have brought the wine, and a very bad polka band. EVERYONE, deserves to be congradulated on the day of their wedding/union. So CONGRATS on the big day. Give your wife a hug and yes you may kiss the bride.
Congrats to both of you, you two are such a darling couple! I'm a big fan of yours, Kathy, thanks for sharing your good news!
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