This week it was announced that Iowa and Vermont will now recognize same-sex marriages (effective April 27, 2009 and September 1, 2009 respectively). That’s four as of this date: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Besides the obviously hilarious fact that Iowa is officially now more progressive than California, we are slowly moving in the right direction. THANK GOD.

It’s interesting to me that people often want to side with the popular vote when it comes to civil liberties. If we had always sided with the popular vote, we would not have made as much progress as we have. Supreme Court rulings (both on the federal and state level) have always been instrumental in defining progress in Women’s rights, minority rights, and so many other civil liberties throughout history. Thank you, wikipedia.

I personally don’t care what we call it. Call it marriage, call it civil union, call it whatever you want as far as I’m concerned. Hell, if we call it something else then the maybe social conservatives who are so concerned with the sanctity of marriage will go concentrate on their own marriages and leave us the hell alone. It sounds to me like all they want is the word, anyway. Give it to them. It’s not the prettiest word in the book, anyway. We’ll call ours A More Equal Union and I bet a lot less of us will take it for granted.

My good friends Nicki and Kara got married last weekend and are now starting their life together as partners, despite what the “popular opinion” is telling them. I am so inspired by their relationship with one another. They don’t take it for granted. They did it for the right reasons. And I think their wedding came with a really cool bonus too: The most beautiful “Fuck You” I’ve ever seen. Thanks, Nicki and Kara, for being two of my heroes. I remember being at the protest with you two, marching for hours in the cold with nothing more than coffee, signs, and freedom.

Update: To read more about Nicki and Kara’s Log Cabin Wedding, Click Here.

Nicki and Kara's most exquisite wedding photo! XD

Read about Same Sex Marriage on Wikipedia.org

Status of same-sex partnerships in the United States      Same-sex marriages      Unions granting rights similar to marriage      Unions granting limited/enumerated rights      Foreign same-sex marriages recognized      Statute bans same-sex marriage      Constitution bans same-sex marriage      Constitution bans same-sex marriage and other kinds of same-sex unions

Types of partnerships recognized in countries where homosexuality is legal      Same-sex marriage recognized     Other type of partnership recognized (including unregistered cohabitation)      No recognition of same-sex couples      Foreign same-sex marriages recognized Homosexuality illegal      Minimal penalty      Large penalty      Life in prison      Death penalty