My partner and I have been together for over nine years. We have a very happy life, living in our home in the Hollywood district. We share our home with our cat and our wonderful golden retriever. We feel blessed to live in such a great city, and to also have so many wonderful friends. After the first year of being together, my partner and I went down and signed up on the cities domestic partner list. When gay marriage first became "legal" we got in line. After our marriage became illegal we were both saddened and angry and confused. Feelings that I believe a number of people in our community felt. I have never understood why gay marriage has become such a political vehicle--but then all matters of equal civil rights tend to start out that way. Our hope is that by fighting the good fight and continuing to live open and honestly that our rights, as so many before ours, will be granted. Some day the thought of any marriage being different than any other will be a thing of the past.
This year, on our tenth anniversary of being together, we plan on renewing our vow in front of all of our wonderful friends and family. My hope is that this will not only be a sign of our love, but one more step in our relationship. A new step towards having children and growing our family, giving our parents grandchildren and opening up our lives to new lives. Perhaps by our fifteenth anniversary our marriage will not only be state accepted, but federally accepted as well, and our children will not understand why the idea of us being married is such a strange concept.
The saying goes that love knows no bounds—but our love, the love of our friends, and the love of others is currently bound in the eyes of the public. However this should never stop us from loving each, ever! We will continue on loving, caring and living open and honestly for each other. Our hope is that everyone can and will do the same.