You can't give me what I have.

"It may seem like a subtle shift, but asking someone to give you what you already have, only gives them the power to withhold it." Sven Davisson.

Thank you to California for choosing to recognize the truth, that same sex couples already have the right to get married. Churches solemnize it, families support it, Pier One lets you register, but our government seems to stubbornly stick to the idea that somehow they can prevent our relationships. They can make them financially more challenging. They can disallow us to care for one another in a legal sense, when it comes to social security or disability. They can separate us when our love crosses international boundaries. They can punish our children by leaving them in legal limbo if we separate or divorce. But they can't actually prevent us from making commitments, from loving one another, from building our lives, from creating our homes.

Civil unions are a great first step and I applaud the states that implemented even these small measures, but, as the Massachusetts SJC stated "The history of our nation has demonstrated that separate is seldom, if ever, equal." I am glad we are engaging in a national conversation about what marriage really means and the fact that in this area, we are still allowing religious officials to manage secular, legal arrangements. I don't when it will happen, but I believe strongly that we will achieve recognition of our rights to commit and build with one another. And I am excited to be a part of it.