O Jubilation
Feb. 5th, 2004 01:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rushthatspeaksHa! We're getting legally married! And there is nothing that anyone can do about it until 2006! And we hopefully won't have to go through as much appalling legal stuff as we would have had to to approximate the legal rights and privileges of legally married couples, because we'll be legally married! (Although we'll probably do a lot of the legal stuff anyhow to guard against the in my opinion improbable case that MA does pass that constitutional amendment in '06.)
I have been expecting eventual legalization of gay marriage, as part of the current societal trend towards less discrimination, since I could notice societal trends. But I honestly never believed it was going to happen anywhere in this country *just in time for us*. I'd been thinking another ten, twenty years, especially since it took them so frickin' long to take the sodomy laws off the federal books. Now I'm thinking twenty years *absolute max* before full federal legalization, and that's if the backlash hits even harder than I think it will. Optimism says five to seven plus time to defeat an constitutional amendment.
I foresee a more political phase of my life coming up, here.
I've never been a terribly activist type, though I did attempt some things along that line in high school, and I vote rather pointedly, and I occasionally email my congresspeople or sign a petition, and I had sex in Virginia before it was legal. But mostly I restrict myself to ranting over LJ, which is preaching to the converted.
However, after I have established residency in Massachusetts, and had a nice wedding which will unexpectedly and happily involve an actual marriage license, there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that I will not sit by and let anyone pass a state amendment to take away our unexpected happy piece of paper. Our piece of paper, dammit. O those of you in Boston: expect myself and my love to be putting some major time and effort into this one. Just to let you know, in case we wind up having political pamphlets all over everywhere, or something like that.
I've been all teary the whole day about the whole thing. Gods, I can't even imagine what this must feel like to the Stonewall generation, or the generation who came out earlier.
Isn't it nifty that we were moving to Boston anyway?
I have been expecting eventual legalization of gay marriage, as part of the current societal trend towards less discrimination, since I could notice societal trends. But I honestly never believed it was going to happen anywhere in this country *just in time for us*. I'd been thinking another ten, twenty years, especially since it took them so frickin' long to take the sodomy laws off the federal books. Now I'm thinking twenty years *absolute max* before full federal legalization, and that's if the backlash hits even harder than I think it will. Optimism says five to seven plus time to defeat an constitutional amendment.
I foresee a more political phase of my life coming up, here.
I've never been a terribly activist type, though I did attempt some things along that line in high school, and I vote rather pointedly, and I occasionally email my congresspeople or sign a petition, and I had sex in Virginia before it was legal. But mostly I restrict myself to ranting over LJ, which is preaching to the converted.
However, after I have established residency in Massachusetts, and had a nice wedding which will unexpectedly and happily involve an actual marriage license, there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that I will not sit by and let anyone pass a state amendment to take away our unexpected happy piece of paper. Our piece of paper, dammit. O those of you in Boston: expect myself and my love to be putting some major time and effort into this one. Just to let you know, in case we wind up having political pamphlets all over everywhere, or something like that.
I've been all teary the whole day about the whole thing. Gods, I can't even imagine what this must feel like to the Stonewall generation, or the generation who came out earlier.
Isn't it nifty that we were moving to Boston anyway?
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no subject
Date: 2004-02-04 11:17 pm (UTC)I had the impression sex was still illegal in Virginia.... Procreatin', that's legal. Sex, on the other hand....
no subject
Date: 2004-02-05 05:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-05 06:33 am (UTC)I'm so damn happy right now. I bounced up and down at work when Andy told me (a passing coworker's opinion was "Good, about damn time!").
So happy for you guys. Sometimes I really love my state.
-Amanda
Mazel tov, dollface!
Date: 2004-02-05 06:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-05 08:42 am (UTC)"[you're] going to the chapel and [you're] gonna get ma-a-a-ried....."
gallian.
YAY!
Date: 2004-02-05 09:06 am (UTC)~Em
no subject
Date: 2004-02-05 09:34 am (UTC)Oh, don't worry, I'll help. I haven't been keeping up with this because I'm not interested after all.
Hugs and glee and bouncing up and down.
I know what you mean about never having been that political. I've always felt a little strange about it, given I grew up in Amherst and Amherst tends to breed activists like nobodies business. But I haven't been getting involved much.
But look, Weirdquark has a button. She knew this back in junior high.
And right now I'm in the kind of mood where I'd sign up to be on the list of people challenging DOMA if I, you know, had a same-sex partner and oh, didn't live in Massachusetts.
You're getting married. And it will be legal. Yay. Grin.
no subject
Date: 2004-02-05 10:38 am (UTC)Just tell me when the wedding is and I'll do my damndest to be there.
no subject
Date: 2004-02-06 10:19 am (UTC)And speaking of wedding presents, y'all should sign up with the I Do Foundation, and earn money for a charity (of your choice) when people buy you the toaster and blender, and even let them just donate to the charity instead. (I Do doesn't actually care whether you're getting legally married or not, but I think it's pretty cool.)