The Shoe on the Other Foot

There is an unintentionally wonderful article in the Sacramento Bee today, which, though that is not its intent, is a perfect reason why people in California should vote No on Proposition 8 and thwart those who would overturn the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage.

The story tells the poor sad plight of newlyweds Rachel Bird and Gideon Codding, who were upset that their marriage license referred to them as "Party A" and "Party B" instead of "bride and groom."

Though Bird and Codding were married by Bird's father, who is a minister, they refuse to fill out the form as it is printed and thus they are not considred legally married by the state of California.

"Because their marriage is not registered with the state, Bird cannot sign up for Codding's medical benefits or legally take his name," the article says.

Well, golly gee. Isn't that just too bad.

The article continues,

"Rachel Bird described her position as 'personal – not religious.'

'We just feel that our rights have been violated,' she said."

Makes a difference when the shoe is on the other foot, doesn't it? Bird is saying all the exact same things that gay couples have been saying ever since the possibility of marriage for gay couples became a glimmer of hope.

I immediately dashed off a letter to the editor of the Sacramento Bee, quoting Bird's own words back to her and pointing out how her position now is the same as that of gay couples for years.

Ellen wrote her own letter, in which she says,

"Rachel Bird, whose marriage license was not registered because the couple had illegally altered it, is upset that she might become ill and wouldn't have medical coverage because she isn't married in the eyes of the law. We certainly feel her pain as that situation has come up in our life many times. She says they feel married, 'like a bride and groom.' We too have felt married for many years. We also have shared her feelings of overwhelming joy at being newlyweds in the summer of 2008 as we too were married this summer. We had to wait for almost 35 years for the opportunity to marry in the state of California, as we are a same sex couple."

The anti-gay folks are going to be starting a blitz campaign trying to pass Caifornia's Proposition 8 very soon. They have reportedly raised more than $5 million for the television ad campaign and I'm sure it's going to get ugly. And the polls show that it's going to be a very close vote, perhaps ultimately setting up two classes of gay people in California: those who are legally married and those who are forever denied the opportunity to marry the person of their choice, because discrimination based on sexual orientation will be written into the state constitution.

The anti-gays are going to be spouting things about the sanctity of marriage and how legalizing gay marriage is going to bring the end of civilization as we have known it.

The clincher, of course, comes at the very end of the Sacramento Bee article, talking about Bird and Codding, where it says,

"For now, they are busy with their family (she has two children from a previous marriage and he has three) and starting their new life."

Guess these are a couple of these "sanctity of marriage" folks all the people are trying to protect. The kind that get married more than once, while trying to prevent gay couples from making that legal commitment even once. It's not nice to hog all the marriage licenses. Time to share some with your gay brethren.